Top Chef

People think it's very glamorous to be a chef,

but it's not all pretty all the time.

I think for a long time we, kind of,

undervalued our cooks.

We still have a lot of work to do

but I think we'll get there.

I'd like to see the tides changing

and I think that they are in large part

because of the younger generation of chefs

just putting their foot down.

I'm bringing my grit and I'm bringing my drive.

I feel like I'm unstoppable.

I'm about to take over.

Top Chefis back.

15 of the country's most talented chefs

have traveled to Houston to compete

in one of the most diverse cities in the nation.

Hot stuff!

It's a hot kitchen in here!

I worked in Paris at the Ledoyen,

which is a three Michelin star restaurant.

Come on, come on, come on, come on.

I was working at a five star restaurant at 14.

I ended up becoming head chef at 19-years-old.

I worked with Pierre and chef Daniel Bouloud.

They helped me get my green card.

These chefs are the cream of the crop.

May the best team win.

- Good luck. - Good luck to you.

Each week, we'll be joined by

a Top Chefall star guest judge...

Any time that you tilt your bowl,

you got a good dish.

Along with a local or national culinary icon.

The brisket was the star of the plate.

- I was like, "Whoa." - We love queso.

- I'm gonna aerate it. - Aren't you fancy?

- One minute! - That clock is not your friend.

Oh, my God!

Welcome to Houston!

At stake for the winner,

a feature in Food and Winemagazine,

an appearance at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen.

$250,000 furnished by San Pellegrino

and the coveted title of Top Chef.

Hello, chefs!

Oh, my God...

This is crazy!

Welcome to Houston and to season 19 of Top Chef.

Walking into the Top Chef kitchen, I'm in a dream.

I am having an outer body experience.

We've been everywhere, from New York

to Chicago, to L.A., to Portland...

but we've never been to Houston

and it's the fourth largest city in the country.

And Houston is also home to Top Chef finalist

and your guest judge, Dawn Burrell.

I am so excited for you guys to be in my city.

Houston is a true melting pot.

Every culture is represented here.

The food is really delicious

and it is the reason why I love living here.

Take a look around. Standing amongst you

is an incredible collection of talented chefs

all here to compete for the grand prize

of $250,000 furnished by San Pellegrino.

And that title of Top Chef.

I hear Padma but what I see is that knife block.

My mind immediately goes to

this is looking like a team challenge.

Being from Houston is definitely an advantage

in the competition but team challenges,

those are the hardest ones on Top Chef.

The 15 of you represent an incredible range of cuisines,

from Asian to French to Afro-lachian.

That would be me.

A lot of Southern Appalachian cuisine

has to do with cooking out of sustenance.

True living off the land.

I think we have some James Beard nominees

in the kitchen, right?

- Ashleigh, Sarah. - Wow.

Raise your hand if you've ever worked

in a Michelin starred kitchen.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Wow. It's a big group.

I've worked in some really good restaurants

but I haven't worked in three Michelin star kitchens.

I came on this competition

to show that my collard greens deserve to be

in the same room as someone else's cassoulet.

There's somebody here who's worked

in the number one restaurant in the world. Who is that?

Yes, I worked at restaurant Noma, Copenhagen

for eight and a half years.

Looks like we have some competition in the kitchen.

I hope you're ready

because this first challenge is a silent killer.

Chefs, it's time to draw knives.

This is a team challenge.

Each team must have a chef holding the number one,

a number two and a number three.

Now, find your teammates.

- You got a one? - Two anybody?

- I've got a two. - Two? Three?

- Two? - I got a three.

I'm Sarah.

- Jackson. - Robert.

Sarah, Jackson.

I just was not expecting a team challenge

so quickly, which sucks.

I had COVID a month ago.

Everything was fine,

but I lost my sense of smell and taste.

But for now, I don't see a need to tell anyone.

God, does that make me a dick?

So, today's challenge is just like a trust fall.

Great.

You'll have 30 minutes on the clock to incorporate

all of your cooking styles into one cohesive dish.

Each team member will only have 10 minutes

to contribute to the dish before the next team member

takes their place.

And, here's where the trust really comes in, guys.

You will not be allowed to speak to your teammates.

Am I hearing this right?

- I don't know these people. - Wow.

Make sure that each of you add something to the dish

that speaks to who you are as a chef.

And you're definitely gonna want to win

this first quickfire because every chef

on the winning team gets immunity

in the first elimination challenge.

When time starts,

everyone with a one can start cooking immediately.

Everyone with a two, over here.

Everyone with a three, you'll be over here.

You'll have 30 minutes on the clock.

Your time starts now! Good luck!

Go, go, go, go.

Push him off, push him off.

Please, get something!

I'm a little bit scared

because my style of cooking is Korean and New Orleans.

It has its own character and it's very unique.

But I have to rely on other two partners.

I don't want them to mess up.

She got it, she got it.

Sugar, sugar, sugar.

You guys have any idea what's going on?

I don't think--

My intention is to build this blank canvas

so that my team can build on that.

What do you have going on over there?

How are you spending these 10 minutes?

Ha! I'm supposed to know what I'm doing right now?

I have proteins on.

I cook very much on the fly

and I'm also a very collaborative chef.

So I approached the entire challenge like a big,

"Choose Your Own Adventure"

and I am the game master. Did anybody find garlic?

It's to the right of the watermelon, I think?

Cool!

scallops and pork.

And I decide to do a romesco sauce

because it can be changed into many different things.

How do you feel about sharing your black pepper with me?

Uh, sure. I'll leave it on my station, you can use it.

I'm upset that I have number one

because I have nothing to do with

what the final dish really comes out to be.

I'm trying to get my guys set up,

things that make sense.

I'm really thinking that we can sear a steak, make creamed corn.

Really hoping that the creamed corn makes it

because that's something I grew up eating.

I want my team to run to the pantry

as little as possible,

so I spend time gathering everything

that I think we will need.

I think Leia is just trying to get everyone set up.

I know that Vietnamese food has a big imprint

here in Houston, so I'm trying to give them

a really specific direction.

What is your dish?

Uh, I don't know right now.

I think I'm just trying to make a base vinaigrette

for these guys.

I grabbed T-Bone and flank steak, so I'm like,

"I'm gonna make salsa verde".

I made it for so many years

when I worked for Jonathan Waxman.

That's the old tried and true. It's always good.

Three minutes left!

So she's making, like, a salsa verde, I think.

You know what you've got?

You have any idea of what their doin'?

Not much has happened yet.

- Nope. - I'm a little confused.