- The final three compete and a Top Chef is chosen.
- Kevin, Ed and Angelo re-emerge from the stew room moments after learning they'll be in the finale. A block of knives greets them and Padma tells them theyll be learning their final challenge tonight: they'll be creating a four course meal of the most amazing food they've ever made.
First course will be vegetables, second is fish, third is meat and fourth they have to make a dessert.Tom tells them he and Eric Ripert will be buying their proteins for them. And Padma says they've flown in help: out come past winners Hung Huyhn (season 3), Michael Voltaggio (who worked with Kevin about 10 years ago) and Ilan Hall of season 2.
Ed also wants Voltaggio, but Angelo wants Hung because they're cooking styles are similar. They draw knives. Ed gets Ilan, Kevin gets Michael and Angelo is happy to get Hung.
They head back to the suite with the guest chefs. Angelo doesn't feel good. He goes to bed early.
Ilan cautions them not to try anything new. Ed fears wacky proteins. Ed announces he thinks hes winning.
The next morning, Angelo's not looking good and is still in bed. He says his whole body is sore and it feels like someone is stabbing him in the stomach. He's been throwing up.
Dr. Gary Chee comes to check on him. He gives him some medicine and gives him a 20 percent chance of being out of bed tomorrow.
At the kitchen, Angelo is absent. Tom and Ripert greet them. They tell Hung that Angelo will give him directions over the food.
Ed thinks $125K is good incentive to get out of bed.
Tom and Eric reveal the proteins.
They get them red mullet (rouget), cuttlefish, cockles and slipper lobsters. Ed thinks the rouget has too many little bones.
For meat they have pork belly and a whole duck.
They have to cook with all of it.
They head to the market with a $300 budget. Voltaggio gives Kevin budgeting advice.
Ed wants to do chilled corn soup but Ilan doesn't think they'll find good corn. Ed does and reminds Ilan he's the food chef.
Hung tells him about the veggies he sees and is patient with him. Angelo is really grateful.
Back at the kitchen, Hung preps solo, checking in with Angelo, who's still in bed.
Hung snags all the foie gras, angering the others. Ed thinks a whole loaf is more than Angelo needs.
Kevin's first dish is eggplant, zucchini and roasted pepper terrine. His second is pan-seared rouget with cuttlefish noodles. "You freeze the fish and slice it thin," he explains. His third dish is roasted duck with duck dumplings. His fourth is Singapore Sling with coconut panna cotta.
Hung powers ahead on his own but seems to be managing. Kevin is totally impressed.
Ed's first course is a chilled summer corn veloute, his second is bacon-wrapped slipper lobster with char-grilled cuttlefish, third is duo of duck with roasted duck breast and stuffed neck, fourth course is sticky toffee date cake.
He's leaving the dessert to Ilan.
The doctor checks in again with Angelo, suggesting a shot that gives him a 3 percent chance of getting better.
Angelo misses Hung's call as he gets a shot in the rear.
The day of the final, Kevin and Ed are up. Angelo starts in bed, waiting for the doctor to tell him if he's well enough to cook. His fever is gone and the doctor just reminds him to drink lots of fluids. Angelo's excited to get the go ahead (like he couldn't just ignore the doctor?).
Ed tries to hide his disappointment that Angelo will be cooking.
They head to the kitchen with three hours to prep.
Kevin says he's glad to have Angelo back to compete against. Angelo is grateful for everything Hung has done.
"Ilan had his season, now its my turn," Ed says.
Kevin says he's giving the judges something unlike anything hes given them before. Voltaggio plucks bones out of the fish with tweezers.
For his first course, Angelo is serving grilled royale mushrooms with hand made noodles, pork belly and watermelon tea, second course is Asian-style bouillabaisse over sautéed rouget and poached cuttlefish, third is duck and foie gras marshmallow and tart cherry shooter, four is a Thai jewel of shaved ice and coconut milk.
While plating, Kevin and Angelo both think Ed has too many components. He thinks his is more complete.
The diners, a ton of big name judges, arrive. Angelo says he's ready to take Ed down. Time's up.
They come out to see the heavy hitters: Dana Cowen, Paul Bartalotta, David Chang and others. They introduce their first dishes.
Tom thinks Angelo's first dish needs work. Susan Feniger, a Top Chef Masters competitor, thinks Kevin's dish doesn't have enough oomph. David Chang of Momofuko think it takes balls to start with a veloute.
Vincent Bourdin, a pastry chef from Valrhona, thinks Ed's was the best and Ripert agrees.
Angelo chugs water as he plates furiously.
"So now you're not sick anymore, huh?" Ed says.
"Sick of your attitude," Angelo replies.
They introduce their second courses.
Dana thinks Kevin's is interesting. Willin Low of Wild Rocket admires the pork belly with squid ink. Seetoh thinks Ed's dish is super complicated, but he respects it.
David Chang thinks Angelo's is tasty and Bartalotta agrees.
The third course comes out.
Ripert and Seetoh are impressed with Kevin's. Susan loves Angelo's. Bartalotta doesn't know what to do with Angelo's shooter. Padma raves about Ed's flavors.
Back in the kitchen they prep dessert. Eds worried about Ilan's dessert work.
David Chang is really impressed with Kevin's dish. Tom thinks Angelo's dessert borders on savory. One judge thinks Ed's dessert is sort of like a f--- you. Bartalotta hates the salty cream, but Tom likes it.
Gail is impressed with all three.
Back in the kitchen Ed is totally impressed with Kevin's food. Kevin thinks it'll be a tough call for the judges. Voltaggio smartly calls it the second-best food he's ever seen on Top Chef.
The chefs come out to a round of applause and Padma sends them off.
Back at Judges Table.
The cheftestants come out. Tom tells them there were some great ideas and some not so good dishes. They ask about Angelo's fish course. Eric liked the addition of the veggies.
Padma asks about the third course cherry palette cleaner, which she says coated her mouth. Padma and Tom both compliment Ed on his duck neck.
Tom tells Ed he liked the salt and sweet of Ed's dessert but says it's something he could have gotten at home.
Ed says he wanted to make lemon curd, but essentially was afraid to screw it up.
Tom tells Kevin his duck was cooked nicely and Gail says it was smart. Gail says she's been to the place where the Singapore Sling was invented, but she preferred his. Padma sends them away.
Back in the makeshift stew room, they stew.
Judge's Table
Gail thinks it was one of their best finales. Padma enjoyed the different takes on the same ingredients.
Tom likes that Angelo make his noodles, but Eric thinks it lacked veggies. Padma thinks Kevin's veggie was timid. They all liked Ed's.
For seafood, Gail thinks Ed's was confusing. Tom thinks he didn't feature the rouget, but it all worked together. Tom thinks Angelo's duck was a little misguided.
Eric admires the work in Ed's duck neck, but Tom says it was slightly overcooked. Kevin's duck was cooked the best.
Ripert says Ed's dessert shocked him and theyr'e baffled by his comments. Ripert and Gail liked Kevin's.
Tom thinks Ed has done a nice job, Eric thinks Kevin paid attention to each ingredient. They agree it's close.
Verdict time
Padma recaps the stakes, in case anyone has forgotten. Tom tells them the Top Chef is the one who took the most risks but also cooked the best meal.
Padma says: "Kevin."
And then there's a super long pause.
"...You are Top Chef."
"I am?" he says.
He is.
"I didn't win Top Chef and there's absolutely zero regret. Kevin, you did an awesome job man, very proud of you," Angelo says.
Voltaggio comes out with champagne. (Way to play to type, Bravo!)
"It's really like a dream come true, you have this dream, you set out to do it and that road is tough and its tougher than you think, but when you pull it out and make it happen, its amazing," Kevin says.
Kelly comes out for congrats, too.
Ed says: "I'm happy that he won, he definitely deserves it."
They toast Kevin. "It's absolutely huge that I'm the first African-American Top Chef," he says.
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