This is it – the final episode and where we learn who is the Master of the Top Chefs.
I was quite impressed with this episode because they did away with the drama and really focused on the food (well, there was some nail-biting drama at the final judging). The chefs had to cook a four course meal that told a story about their culinary career: Their earliest food memory, the experience that made them want to become a chef, their first restaurant, and where they're heading in the future with their career. Their dishes were gorgeous (except for Michael's whole fried fish) and made me want to reach through the screen to taste them.
Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, and the five former Top Chef winners joined the judges to feast upon the cheftestants' dishes (Yes, Hosea is still alive). We also got to see some old pictures of the chefs, from childhood to their early career days – not pretty pictures, these guys definitely were late bloomers.
Highlights: Rick Bayless' orgasmic mole (mo-lay, as in, the sauce) and taking Jay Rayner's "mole [mo-lay] virginity", our fantasy Padma on Kelly chick fight, Keller's former life as a dirty hippie, Chiarello's diss at James Oseland, Jay wanting to bathe with Gail in Chiarello's food, and the revelation of the winner.
At the end of our podcast, we discussed the new season of Top Chef and ragged on the newbies (and their crazy body art), but tune in next week to hear our rants on the first and second episodes of the season. Yes, we're continuing this podcast – much to your delight.
Hear the exciting podcast after the jump:
This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2009.