The current season of Top Chef is one of its’ best yet. The Los Angeles-based season is only the second true All-Stars edition. Former contestants have been brought back now and again but a true All-Stars season has not been filmed since season eight – almost ten years ago now – when Richard Blais earned his redemption.
Top Chef has seen its’ fair share of ups and downs (I’m looking at you, Top Chef Texas) but deserves praise for changing and adapting the formula in an age when being good is not good enough. Introducing components such as Last Chance Kitchen completely changed the game; the chance for an eliminated chef to earn a spot back in the game adds a level of anxiety for the remaining chefs and the audience watching at home.
This All-Star season features contestants that were eliminated too soon, eliminated for a good dish among great ones or who made it to the finals but just missed out on the title. Gregory Gourdet, Melissa King, Bryan Voltaggio and Jennifer Carroll are just four of the returning chefs that left their mark on their own season but went home without the title. The mix of chefs this season is nearly perfect. Different styles, different cuisines but all share a genuine respect for their craft, the ingredients and each other. Catty, accusatory quarrels are nowhere to be found.
The other highlight of this season is the incredible caliber of the challenges. An early episode featured a tour of Jonathan Gold’s favorite LA restaurants and the corresponding elimination challenge asked chefs to pay homage to those restaurants and Gold’s favorite dishes. The Kaiseki challenge with guest judges Niki and Carole Lidi-Nakayama of famed restaurant n/naka was a fascinating exercise in restraint and precision, with varying levels of success. The very next episode included a trip to Michael’s Santa Monica, a restaurant whose pedigree includes the likes of Jonathan Waxman, Roy Yamaguchi, Mark Peel and Top Chef winner Brooke Williamson. Oh, and you must recreate, update and put your own stamp on a signature dish originally created by those renowned chefs during their MSM tenure… and then serve it to that chef. No pressure.
With just a few episodes left, the finalists are off to Italy for the finals. I can honestly say I would be happy to see any of the finalists take the title. The quality of the show, seventeen seasons in, gives me hope that Top Chef will live on for years to come. One thing is for sure, you know where to find me Thursdays at 9:00pm.
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