01x04 - Young and Hungry

[bunniefuu]

[man]
The next generations of chefs,
they cook like me.

[woman]
Modern food
and traditional food,

if you put them together,
you can do amazing things.

Innovators and game changers,
they are our future
and the future is here.

Chop, chop, chop, let's go.

That's so exciting!

[upbeat music playing]

This is Chopped Next Gen.

I wake up in the morning
and I live for this.

Oh, spicy!

I'm looking for some culinary
innovation. That's correct.

We're just coming in
and we're breaking up
the business.

This is too France
for our taste buds.
Into the future.

Run!

[upbeat music playing]

Four new chefs are joining us
to prove how badass
they really are.

Now, they may be young,
but they're also hungry.

-[Tiana]
I'm super stoked right now.
-All right.

Fought for the W
and representing
young black female chefs

trying to find their own wave.

Food is definitely
my first language.

Growing up part Filipina
and black,

I represent
who I am in my cooking

and I've always wanted
to share it with the world.

Okay.

[Juan]
There's no fear, man.
I'm a young guy, vicious.

My first professional kitchen
was Chez Panisse
by Alice Waters.

Most recently I started three
restaurants in my own style.

We have grilled tomahawk
with balsamic powder
and a[indistinct]

I'm building that confidence
to see where it takes me.

[upbeat music playing]

[Elise] I am the chef owner
of Chicory restaurant
in Olympia, Washington.

The inspiration for my cooking
begins with ingredients
from the Pacific northwest,

pristine seafood, wild foraged
produce and land animals.

I'm kind of a Jack
of all trades,
Jane of all trades maybe.

May the best chef win,
which is me.

[chuckles]

[upbeat music playing]

The other three chefs out
there better watch out.

I have a competitive spirit.

I don't like to lose
and I bring perfection.

My style is Caribbean,
African, honoring my heritage.

I have to win this competition
for the kids
that look like myself,

the kids that don't see
their cuisines
in high profile places.

That's who I'm winning
this competition for.

[upbeat music playing]

Yo, what up, chefs?

You are stepping
into the Chopped kitchen,

which means we are expecting
the unexpected.

Good.

Now, not only are
the judges going to be
evaluating you based on taste,

presentation, creativity,

but also culinary innovation
AKA switch it up on us,
all right?

I'm here to push
our generation into the future

and beat the most
innovative creators.

[Liza]
The judges today
that you need to wow

are super chef and owner
of three restaurants,
Darnell Ferguson.

And celebrated chef,
Nyesha Arrington

and award-winning chef
and restaurateur, Mei Lin.

Mei is like, stone cold.

I'm like the most intimidated
by her.
She's just so together.

[Liza]
That's your crates,
right there.

Put your spicy little
hands on them.

Okay, right now,
go ahead and open them.

I was reading the scripts,
my bad.

I get chopped.

[laughing]

[Liza]
Ready...

right now, open them up.

[dramatic music playing]

[Liza]
You have scorpion powder.

I've never used this before.

I guess ground scorpions.
I have no idea.

[Liza]
You've also got scungilli.

So scungilli is actually
like a cooked conch
reminiscent of like a clam.

Baby cucumbers?

[Liza]
Cucumber with bloom
and Baumkuchen.

Cake.

[dramatic music playing]

[Liza]
All right, chefs,

you have 20 minutes
for your appetizer round
and your time, it starts...

now!

-Okay.
-[Liza] Let's go!

-To the races.
-Oh, let's go.

So what do these chefs need
to do in order to show us

that they are next-gen
Chopped.

We definitely want to see
some innovation.

It's not only
about just the cooking.

It's about plating
and presentation

and how you're getting
your message

of who you are as a chef
across social as well.

[Liza] They're building
their resumes online
for the world to see.

-[Nyesha] Absolutely!
-[Darnell]
Social media is great,

but what happens
is you have to be great
in person as well.

You have to have the skill
to back up everything
that you can put out.

The stakes are
so much higher now.

-Exciting things going down
into this gen kitchen.
-Let's go, next gen!

[chopping]

I'm just happy to be here
as a young female black chef.

I'm here to shake it up
and I'm here to represent.

Actually I was just in the
Bahamas like this new year.

They have this conch salad
which is kind of similar
to ceviche.

It's lots of lime juice,
fish sauce,

freshness, onions,
things like that

so that's like the direction
that I'm going
with this dish right now.

These conchs are really
oceany and briny,
so this needs something sweet.

So I'm just going
to pulsarize this cake

and I'm going to mix it
with some scorpion powder

as breadcrumbs on top
of the salad.

Yo, how much is a brick
of scorpion powder?

I would love to know.
I would love to know.

[Liza]
What's the going price
on the street?

I got a kilo
at the house.

-[laughing]
-[indistinct]

What does it taste like?

It has earthy undertones
and it has this sandy texture.

The next generation chef isn't
afraid to step out of the box.

So I'm going to make
a quick kimchi kind of

with some scorpion powder
and then some
kind of scungilli ceviche.

I'm going to get
some vinegar in here,
some of the scorpion powder.

I was nominated for Eaters
Young g*n Award and today,

I think I'll shine brighter
than the rest of them.

[upbeat music playing]

[Mei] Because of the salinity
and the brininess
of the scungilli,

I would kind of do like
a clams and linguine
type of situation.

Scungillian Linguini.

-[laughing]
-Scungillian Linguine?
I'm going to do it once.

[Darnell] What I would try to
do is try to like incorporate
like warming spices,

like, I would definitely
because you have the conch,

I would definitely go
like Caribbean.

And I kind of like see myself
like as a visionary
a little bit,

-so I'm going to try to see
if I can make a dope fritter.
-Okay.

[Elise]
I'm going to make
a conch fritter.

I used to work at a place
that did that with conch

with hot smoked paprika,
lemon juice
and whatever the heck that is,

that's just kind of
a like a binder.

You can use the Baumkuchen
and actually use
that as your thickener.

The flavor of like
a light chiffon cake,

so it's sweet
but not too sweet.

[Darnell]
Not only does it
taste good,

but it has to take it
to the next level.

It doesn't just be
a little fried piece of dough
on a plate.

[Liza] Right, we're looking
for some culinary innovation.
That's correct.

Darnell, where would you say
innovation comes from?

[Darnell]
Innovation
comes from identity.

You got to know who you are
in order to know
how you want to cook.

-[Mei] Right.
-Coming back to your roots...

-Absolutely!
-...is where you flourish.
Hey, all right, all right.

[Juan] I grew up with a middle
eastern and Spanish background
in Chile.

So, yeah. I based my love food
on my past,

the happiness
that it brought me.

I'm going to go on
that Spanish,

light tostada style
with a ceviche.

I'm going to fry
that corn tortilla.

I chopped the cucumber
to be my... my crunch.

Bring in some lime,
some orange, some shallots,

some garlic, some ginger
and I add my scungilli.

Hey, yo chefs! You got
less than 10 minutes left.
Cook it up. Cook it up.

[dramatic music playing]

Baumkuchen tastes great,

but it's a little bit
too sweet for the crumb.

To counteract that it needs
more of that scorpion powder.

Scorpion powder
is like really mild.

I want it to like
push through,

but I don't want it to be
like in their face.

So trying to like
find that balance.

Okay, I get it now.

I have always been in love
with food.

When I was a kid I actually
had my own YouTube channel,
Cooking with T,

and now, I'm on top for
the world to see my skills.

I'm making my take on ceviche.
I want to vacuum seal it,

throw it in a sous
vide machine so I
can control the temperature.

I know nobody else
is thinking to use this thing

just because
we only have 20 minutes,

but I try to push the envelope
as much as possible.

Now, I'm cutting off
the cucumbers.

I'm just going to saute them
a little bit in juice
from the scungilli

just to kind of give it
a salinity to it,

give it a little bit of
fishiness.

Can I get the time, please?

Chefs, you have
five minutes left.

[Demetrius]
Time is running out,

but I've been in a pressure
cooker since childhood.

I grew up without a father,
so extremely poor,

but that's what drives me
to be the best man and chef
I could possibly be.

[dramatic music playing]

Come on, chefs! Let's go!

-You better pick it up
a little bit.
-Come on, now.

Need a little more time
for the cucumber gremolata.

I'm adding herbs,
olive oil, lemon juice.

-Tiana,
are you using all that mint?
-[Tiana] You got it.

Thank you.

[Liza]
Sharing is caring.

[Juan]
I've never eaten
a scorpion myself,

but it was like
a nice earthy taste.

Let's incorporate some
of that scorpion powder

into the Baumkuchen,
bring some earthiness

and some more
complexity to the dish.

I want to win the ten thousand
dollars for my future

when I start building
the little nest
for me and my wife.

All right, chefs. You got two
minutes left on the clock,
let's go.

[dramatic music playing]

[Liza]
It looks like Chef Elise
has her fritters.

This is so exciting.
This is like down to the wire.

I hope everyone gets their
food on the plate, man.

If you miss one ingredient,
you're just going
to be chopped.

Two minutes left on the clock.
The scorpion powder is,
it's an enigma to me.

I keep tasting it
and I can't, like...

I try some and it,
like, makes my mouth dry.

My mind is going like a
million different directions.

Let's go, Chef Elise.
Stay focused.

It's a little overwhelming.
I'm trying to keep myself
together emotionally.

Let's go, Chef Elise.

-She's focused.
-She's focused.

[Elise]
I won't be the first one
to be chopped.

I'm here to win for my
restaurant, my business,

the folks that...
that come in every day

and work hard to make
the restaurant successful.

So I finally decided to use
some of the scorpion powder
in the cucumber gremolata.

[Demetrius]
That Baumkuchen,
it's kind of sweet.

I'm going to just toast it
and kind of make a crumble
or a soil

to go on the bottom
of the plate
just to add some texture.

All right, chefs.
You got one minute left.
One minute.

-Down to our last minute.
-Laser focused.

-Timing is key here.
-Absolutely.

And you want a second
to like look at your plate,
feel good about it.

-[Liza] That's right.
-[Mei] That presentation.

[Elise] This is some creme
fraiche. I feel like I should
add richness to the fritters.

[Tiana] Yellow is my favorite
color, so I want to add some
of the cucumber flowers

just to add a little bit
of pop of color.

-Fifteen seconds.
-You'll have 15 seconds.

All right, chefs.

You're going to hate me
because you have ten seconds,
nine...

-[Darnell] Get everything
on the plate.
-...eight,

seven, six, five, four,
three, two, one.

-Hands up! Hands up!
-Good job.

Back it up. Back it up.

[Mei]
You can give yourself a hand
you just did that.

-Now that's how you finish.
-That's how you finish it!

Whoa!

My heart's kind of beating
really fast right now.

I'm really proud
of what I did.

Didn't forget anything
that's...
that's the best part.

[Tiana] I think it looks
great. I used the basket
ingredients pretty well.

I'm also anxious and nervous.
Hopefully,
they'll like the flavors.

All right.
Welcome to the chopping block.

Now, in the appetizer crate
you got scorpion powder,

scungilli, cucumber with
bloom and Baumkuchen.

Now, Chef Tiana, can you
please tell us what you made?

Today I made
a scungilli salad
with a Baumkuchen crumble.

Yeah. Do you see yourself
being here on chopped
next gen?

[Tiana]
Absolutely.

It's very important for me
to be standing here

to represent the fierce
and fearless female chefs

-that are coming up.
-All right, all right.

I love that.
Judges, how are we feeling?

Great, now that I have some
delicious food in my mouth.

All right. All right.

When it comes to like
your culinary innovation,

I can see who you are
in this dish,

you know, and that's
what you want with food.

Like, innovation
is like an identity.

By looking at this plate
I can tell you maybe from LA,
you know.

This is a very LA plate.
It makes me want to pull
my camera out before I eat it.

[Liza]
All right. All right.
Chef, Tiana.

I've seen your IG feed and it
says feed me, you know.
You know the aesthetic.

No filter needed on this,
but no filter,

give us please,
your, your critiques Nyesha.

Yes, ma'am.

Chef T, I absolutely
adore this dish.
This is delicious.

This dish is taking me
on a journey.

When I put this in my mouth
my palate is excited.

I get beautiful citrus notes.

I get beautiful salinity
from the fish sauce.

Thank you, chef. Thank you.

[Mei]
Right off the bat, I love
the texture of your crumb.

You're giving me a lot of
textures here and I love that.

Thank you, chef.

If I'm going to be
hypercritical,

I mean, I'm looking
at your knife cuts, chef.

I think on the cucumber
because it's unbalanced,

it's affecting the way
the dish is eating.

-Thank you, Chef Tiana.
-Thank you.

Chef Demetrius,
tell us what you made.

So today, I made a play
on kimchi and ceviche.

Every time Nyesha puts
the whole nose in the bowl.

It's like a...
it's a layered sensory

-experience, you know.
-All the chefs do it.

[Demetrius]
So I took the scungilli
and just brined it

with a little bit of
the scorpion powder.

Then I made some sea water
brine cucumbers

with a Baumkuchen.

[laughing]

When I saw this dish
I thought, "Wow, beautiful
take on your kimchi."

You know, taking that Napa
cabbage and re-envisioning,

it, it's very vibrant
and fresh and delicious,
really made my soul happy.

I see where you were
going with this, man.

I thought that the kimchi
kind of was like,

"You know what, I'm the real
heavyweight here."
You know what I'm saying?

I'm the real,
I'm the boxer here.

And I love what you did
with the cucumbers
with how you salted them,

but it took away a little bit
of the flavor
that they naturally had.

You know, to be honest I think
this dish eats very sweet

because you have
the Baumkuchen
which is very sweet,

you have the Gochujang
which is also very sweet

and then you added sugar
into your pickling liquid
in your, in your scungilli.

So Chef Demetrius,
would you tell me why
is it important for you

to be Chopped Next Gen.

I would watch food network
at home as a kid all the time

and I never saw anybody
who looked like myself

and I always hated
the idea or the notion

that fine dining had to be
from European inspirations.

Why can't fine dining
be Asian or...
or Caribbean or African.

And that's what has propelled
me to strike out on my own.

[Liza] Right.
Hey, making your mark here
today but paving the path.

Come on, next gen, let's go.
Let's go.

Chef Elise,
tell us what's good.
What did you make for us?

So what I have for you today

is a scungilli
and Baumkuchen fritter

with scorpion powder
in it as well,

a cucumber flower gremolata
and some creme fraiche.

-Can't wait.
-Come on, now.
I'm doing a dance already.

What would you do given the
ten thousand dollars today?

I really just want
to create a sustainable,

respectful work environment
for my staff.

I've got a pretty small staff
at the moment that...

excuse me,
that is counting on me

and my husband and I took
a very big financial risk...

and we put our blood sweat
and tears into it.

Yeah, I can see that love
coming through right now

and the emotions coming
through. And that's beautiful.

-Thank you
for sharing that story.
-Thanks.

-Delicious happy mouth.
-Yes.

I love the use
of the creme fraiche.

That really brought
a beautiful richness

to sort of bring everything
together.

This is so stunning the way
you've cared

for this beautiful delicate
cucumber flower

-is really beautiful.
-Thank you.

When we were talking
about what we would do.

I said I would do a fritter,
you know, I'm not saying
great minds think alike.

I'm just saying
we got lucky today.

I wish the fritter was
a little bit more crispier,
but overall fantastic.

-Really delicious
and I want to keep eating it.
-Thank you.

And one thing I will say
is that using all those herbs

just muted out
the cucumber 100%.

It kind of seems like it's not
a mystery basket ingredient

it's more of a garnish, but
the gremolata it is amazing.

Thank you, truly, Chef Elise.

All right, Chef Juan, please
tell us what you made.

Hi, chefs.

I made for you guys today
half-moon scungilli,
kind of like a tostada.

Very Mexican of inspire
and then I did the Baumkuchen
with a little scorpion powder.

[Darnell]
Hey, chef,
this is straightforward,

like, you didn't overdo it
and it worked out

because the tostadas,
let me know who you are
by this dish.

You know, part of being
like that next gen,

you just want to make sure
your identity is always here.

That's a smart play.

Thank you very much.

For sure this was probably
one of the best uses
of the scorpion powder.

It's very earthy and it comes
forward in a really great way.

And I really love
this sort of balance

between the softness
of that cake

and also the crunchiness
of that tortilla.

I would have loved to see
a little bit more brightness.

You used the mint
which was beautiful,

but don't be afraid to get out
of the comfort zone, you know,

some basil or something
that's exciting my palette.

[Mei] Going off of what Nyesha
said, we want to see
more innovation.

We want to see more
of those ingredients shine.

Understood.
Thank you very much.

Chef, y'all crushed
the appetizer round.

However, only three of you
will be moving on.

Why don't you'll go ahead
and take a breather
and let our judges deliberate.

I think it being
their first competition,
they did very well.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

My first competition,
I was so like, "Oh, my gosh!"

Them going into it,
yeah, cool as a cucumber,
it's great to see.

Yeah, that confidence in
the kitchen, it shines through

-on the plate, right?
-[Mei] Yeah.

Were you getting all the
flavors on Chef Juan's plate?

[Nyesha]
I would have loved to see him
be a little bit more confident

and bold with these flavors.
I think it just fell
just a little bit short.

All right. And Chef Demetrius.

[Mei]
For me, it just ate very
sweet on sweet on sweet.

[Darnell]
He was innovative
in this first round

and we always look
for somebody to take a risk,

but the thing about it
is big risks

can also be a big reward
or it could be a big failure.

Mmm.

[Liza]
All right, chefs.

We're looking to pass
the chopped ground

to the future
of the culinary world,

which means this unfortunately
is the moment

that we have to say goodbye
to one of you.

So whose dish
is on the chopping block?

Chef Juan,
you have been chopped.

Juan, your dish was
absolutely delicious.

However, this competition
is about creativity
and innovation

and unfortunately, you played
it a little bit safe today.

And for these reasons
you've been chopped.

Thank you, guys.

Chefs, we want you to
transform those ingredients
in an innovative way.

We want you to prove to us
that you are the future.

[Tiana]
I'm moving forward,
onward and upward.

I want to represent
for all of the fierce
female chefs out there.

I know that I'm going to knock
this one out of the park.

I feel as though I'm one of
the best young chefs coming up

not only in Atlanta
but the rest of the country.

Chef Demetrius,
Chef Tiana and Chef Elise,

y'all are still here.

Got this, and maybe we're
going to see and I hope you do

because our entree around
will really test your skills.

Go ahead and put your hot
little hands on the crates.

Go ahead, open it up.

[cheering]

It's some snail caviar.

Y'all can keep
that snail caviar, all right
and make sure to cook with it.

I don't really want to eat
snail eggs

and I don't know
what to do with it.

Some snapper!

A red snapper.

[Demetrius]
My favorite. We got some
snapper here.

[Liza]
Upland cress.

We got a charcuterie board.

[Liza]
And a plant-based
charcuterie board.

What?

Plant-based charcuterie!

This is fantastic.

I'm really looking forward
to cooking this fish.

[Liza]
All right,
my chefs 30 minutes,

entree round
and your timer starts now!

-Let's go.
-Let's get it.

[Darnell]
The fun begins.

The fun begins for myself
and for the folks at home.

-Snail caviar is snail eggs,
right?
-[Darnell] Yes.

Not good.

Snail caviar is $3,000
a kilogram, so it's
definitely for the ballers.

This one is earthy.

It's more of those like root
vegetable kind of notes to it.

They actually use
the slime for facials.

Lots of snails crawling on
your face makes it look tight.

[laughing]

[Tiana]
I'm not super intimidated
by this crate

and I'm feeling really
confident in this round.

Growing up part Filipina
and black

really plays in how I cook
and my flavor profiles.

So I think that I'm going
to go in the Asian direction.

So I'm making a watercress
and snail caviar salad.

And this is the fastest
I've ever fabricated a fish

in my life!

[Elise]
I'm feeling really excited
to work with a whole fish.

I want to present to the
judge's snapper two ways.

I'm going to make
a beurre blanc

with a upland cress
inside of it

and enriched
with the snail caviar.

Love fried snapper.

You know, it just has
so much flavor to it.

[Nyesha]
The interesting thing will be

to see what other parts
of the fish they utilize.

Are they going to use
those bones? Are they
going to use the head?

My favorite cut
on the fish is the collar.

So I'm cleaning up
these collars.

There's like so many tasty
nooks and crannies.

You have to work for it
a little bit,
but it's kind of the point.

Is there a lot of flavor
in the collar you're saying?

Absolutely.
A lot of great fattiness.

[Liza]
In what way would you
use the head, Nyesha?

I spent a lot of time in
the Caribbean, so you see it
a lot in soups, you know.

-[Liza] Okay.
-Absolutely.

And the eye is actually
the delicacy.

-[Liza]
You like the eye, don't you?
-I'm not afraid of it.

I'm making some sort of sauce
with some black garlic.

[grinding]

The dried fruits
from the charcuterie board,
they're like extremely sweet

and going to give
for a nice earthiness
to this situa-ish.

[Tiana]
I love upland cress.

It fresh and it's bright and
I threw a little bit in there
for some pepperiness.

[Darnell]
One thing for sure is no one's
from the same background here.

So the food should represent
where you come from.

So, I'm expecting to see
some identity this round.

All right, chefs. We have less
than 15 minutes on the clock.

[Demetrius]
Growing up my grandmother
would make this rice,

and me and my brother
we just ended up calling it
grandma's rice.

It's just a combination
of dried fruit with jerk sauce

and it's like next level
delicious.

With the rice I can make
a very tasty risotto.

I throw curry powder
and chili flakes in there

to reconnect with
my Caribbean background.

So I'm going to go ahead
and check out
what they're doing real quick.

-It smells delicious.
-I hope so.

Oh, my God!

[Demetrius] I'm going to take
some of the vegan cheese
from the charcuterie board

and put that in there just
add another creamy layer.

-[Liza] Cashew cheese is b*mb.
It is b*mb.
-Cashew cheese is b*mb.

[Darnell]
What's your plan
for that cress?

[Demetrius]
I'm probably going to make
some kind of a gel.

-Smart.
-[Darnell] Oh, my goodness!

See, that's what I'm talking
about this time, man.

Don't forget, execution,
execution, execution.

Where we at right now?

I see you got your fish
fillets going, got that skin
scoured, looks good.

-Oh, smart.
-Yeah, and I'm thinking

about making a little sauce
out of the upland cress.

Yes, so in this blender I took
some of the dried fruits
from the charcuterie board

and I blended it up
with some black garlic.

Okay, I like the blend you're
going with over here.
I'll leave you some time.

Chefs,
you have five minutes left.

-Hello.
-All right,
where are you at right now?

So I got my fish broken down

and then I'm going to do
something
with the dried fruit.

I see you got everything
broken down over here.

-You're on pace here
so keep it up.
-All right.

Trying to figure out

if using the crackers
from the charcuterie board

is like enough
for a crusted fillet.

So I mix it with cornmeal
to make a more granular

coating on the skin
of the snapper.

[Liza]
Tiana and Chef Elise are both
using the wood fire grill.

Wood fire and the smoky flavor
has been a real big part of
this next generation of chefs.

I would definitely agree
with that.

Just kind of getting down
and dirty.

Two minutes.

-Clock is ticking.
-All right, chefs...

Very important you get
everything on your plates.

...you got two minutes
on the clock.
Let's go, go, go.

[Mei] Chef Demetrius
is making some sort of gel.

I'm just really worried for
him that like 20 minutes
is not enough time.

[Demetrius]
For the gel, you want it to be
as smooth as possible,

but I don't have time
to make it properly,
so I'm not going to do it.

So I realized that
and I'm just going to use it
as a nice sauce.

Bang it out.
Come on, now 'cause chefs
you got 30 seconds.

Chefs, come on.

[Demetrius]
They don't call me captain
risotto for nothing.

Here we go. Here we go.
Countdown's coming.

Last touch.

Ready in ten, nine, eight,
seven,

six, five, four,
three, two, one.

Back up!
Get your fingers off the food.

That 30 minutes went really,
really quick.

Lots of colors.
Those plates look very
vibrant, full of life.

-This looks good.
-Thank you.

I did it.
I'm not super stoked about it.

I really feel like I could
have added like more texture.

All right, chefs.

Your entree crates included,
red snapper, snail caviar,

upland cress and a
plant-based charcuterie board.

All right chef, Tiana.

Today, I made a dried fruit
and black garlic snapper

with a upland cress
and snail caviar salad.

I loved your jam.

You should jar it and sell it,
for sure it's delicious.

The flavor from your jam,
outstanding.

But I think that I would
have liked to have seen

that on the actual fish,
you know what I'm saying.

It's like a glaze if you
were going that route.

-And your fish is overcooked.
-[Tiana] Yeah, Chef.

And the skin
isn't crispy at all.

Not crispy and overcooked.
The two worst freaking things.

But I did get an amazing
amount of upland cress

that floral
and the pepperiness

that comes from it that plays
so nicely with snapper.

Hopefully, if I move over
to the next round
I can show you guys so.

-Yes, Chef.
-Well, thank you Chef Tiana.

All right, Chef Elise.

Can you tell me who's
supporting you at home?

Who's gathered around
the screen right now watching
you and rooting for you?

My husband
and business partner

and all of my team back home
at Chicory Restaurant
which I own and operate.

Okay, Ms. Humble,
which I own and operate.

Yes, do your thing.

Would you say
there's a lot of pressure

-on your shoulders today?
-Absolutely.

I mean, this has been like
a decade-long dream of mine.

So I have for you
snapper two ways.

Pan seared snapper
that's crusted with cornmeal

and crackers
from the charcuterie board

as well as
a grilled snapper collar

and upland cress
beurre blanc.

[Darnell]
Well, chef.

Good job here.

I mean, this is like a rib.
Like you just go...

There's so many nooks
and crannies.
I love the collar, yeah.

I always encourage people
to eat with their hands

and that really makes you
connect with the ingredients.

I really appreciate the use
of using that whole animal.

Thank you.

I love the extraordinary
use of this snail caviar.

It's a beautiful presentation
and in that beurre blanc.

I love the textures that
I get from the cornmeal crust.

It's just really smart.

However,
from my piece of collar
I got quite a few scales

that actually ended up
in the sauce

and I got...
I got one in my mouth.

Well, thank you Chef Elise.

-Thank you.
-[Liza] Thank you.

You know,
this breeze over here
is letting me experience

Chef Demetrius' dish
right here.

But, please, chef, tell us
what is on our plate today?

Today I gave you guys a little
bit of pan seared snapper

with something I like to call
grandma's risotto.

Something that my grandmother
used to make

for my brother
and I growing up.

Growing up
with my grandmother,

I saw her cook a lot.
She's from Trinidad
and Tobago,

so I love those
island flavors.

Amazing flavor on the rice.

Definitely the star
of the plate on this dish.

[Darnell]
I was so afraid
to try the snapper.

Do you know why?
Do you know why?

-Because I left it in the pan.
-Yes!

For like 15 minutes,

but it didn't overcook it,
you know what I'm saying?

Like, oh, my goodness,
the culinary gods
were with you today.

I think just being
a little bit smarter
of how you plate your food

because you do have
this upland cress sauce
out here on the side.

What am I supposed to do
with the sauce, right?

You could have
really benefited

from putting that puree
into your rice.

That would have been
really great.

So, chefs, unfortunately
this is the end of the line
for one of you.

[Demetrius]
Everybody has their own
philosophy on food

and it's really inspiring
to see

that all of us
have the same end goal
but different visions.

[Tiana]
As a next generation, chef,

I'm here to break the mold
and I'm here to win this 10k.

So whose dish
is on the chopping block?

[Elise]
Liza has her hand
on the cloche

and I am certain
it's going to be my dish
that's underneath there.

Chef Tiana,
you have been chopped.

Darnell.

Chef Tiana, you have proven

that you are 24-year-old chef
phenom on the rise.

It's when that doubt got
into your head today

that we had the fish that was
overcooked and soggy.

-Yeah, chef.
-And for those reasons
you've been chopped.

Good luck.

I'm a little bummed out,
but I feel like overall
this experience was amazing,

unfortunately,
the crate ingredients
got the best of me.

All right, Chef Demetrius.
Chef Elise.

That $10,000 is very close.
I know you feel it.

I came here for a reason
and it's time to show it.

I'm excited to see
what he comes up with,
hopefully, mine's better.

All right, claim it.
Claim it today.

The chance, the title,
the crown as Chopped Next gen.

Let's see
what you're working with.

Open up.

Oh, okay.
[laughs]

I've heard it's hard
to mess up dessert,
but it can't be easy with uni.

Uni!

Oh, no. All right.

You've also got some
fair trade chocolate.

-Got pomegranates.
-Some pomegranates.

Fried chicken?

No idea what that is.
Something frozen.

[Liza]
And fried chicken ice cream
is what you are looking at.

Looks like fried chicken,
but it is ice cream coated
with corn flakes.

No, I haven't. But, I mean,
I'm excited to try it.

[laughs]

So uni is actually the
Japanese term for sea urchin.

It's definitely
the oddball ingredient.

Big crate of randomness
right there,

but you've got 30 minutes
on the clock...

...and you can begin now.

-They're going for it,
they're going.
-There you go.

Come on, now.

We expect to see y'all
being innovative.

We want to see creativity,
we wanna see execution.

[Nyesha]
Elise is playing
for her restaurant.

She's proud of her team
watching her at home.

-She's got to bring it.
-[Liza]
That's right. That's right.

And we got Demetrius' parents
and grandma's legacy.

I'm excited to see
his identity shine
through on the plate too.

In order to win that $10,000
I think execution is key.

Being innovative,
being detail-oriented.

[Darnell] They got to make
sure whatever they put on the
plate represents them.

I'm really eager to see
what the chefs do.

[Liza] All right, Mei let's go
see it up close and personal.
Feel the heat.

[Mie]
Chef Elise,
what are you making?

Okay, so some sort of
pomegranate molasses
and balsamic vinegar syrup

and then I'm going to make
a crumble with the chocolate

and the outside breading of
this fried chicken ice cream.

And then I've got uni,
ice cream base going on.

Looks like I see some cream
and some uni going on
at chef Elise's table.

[Mei]
Great game play there.

Uni actually has a very
pleasant mild sweetness to it.

It's an egg.

I'm most concerned
about my ice cream right now.

I didn't add eggs to it
because I was thinking
that uni could work

as an act of the egg.

It's wild, but it's tasty.

Chef Demetrius,
what are you making?

I'm going to do
a pomegranate gel...

-[Mei] Okay.
-...with uni and orange
chocolate sauce.

And then, I'm making a play
on chicken and waffles,

something that's really common
in the south for brunch,

but I'm using pancakes
instead.

Okay, pancakes.

-[Mei]
Where's your uni going inside?
-My chocolate sauce.

Oh, wow! Interesting.

Chefs, you have less than
20 minutes left on the clock.

Chef Demetrius is doing a
take on chicken and waffles?

[Nyesha]
It's so interesting how much
like fried chicken it looks.

Yeah, it's wild.

[Darnell]
I think that Chef Demetrius
is being really innovative.

[Nyesha]
Correct.

This is that $10,000 meal.

Come on. Dessert round.

I'm only one chef away
from winning this $10,000
and I really want it.

If I can execute this dessert
well then I can win.

I taste the fair trade
chocolate

and realize
that it's milk chocolate.

Milk chocolate.

It's got a pretty high
milk fat content.

I'm going to make a crumble
with the chocolate.

[Demetrius]
I put my first pancakes
in the pan

just to get those on
because I know they're going
to take a good amount of time

and I'm getting started
on my pomegranate gel.

[Darnell]
Did Demetrius grab
agar agar again?

[Mei] Yes. He was actually
thinking about making a gel
with a pomegranate.

He's going to try it again,
hey.

[Demetrius]
In the entre round
I failed to make a gel

and I want to amend
that mistake

and hopefully
I'll impress the judges.

-Something's burning,
it looks like in that pan.
-Something smells burnt.

What's going on
at Chef Demetrius' station?

[bleep]

I look back and all I see is
smoke coming out of the pan.

My pancake is burned,
so I have to get another pan.

You know,
I'm really concerned
with the burnt brown butter.

-I think it smells burnt.
-[Darnell]
You can't serve burnt food.

I have to do another pancake.
I'm super nervous.

Did she put that melted
chocolate in the corn flakes?

[Mei] Yeah she's, that's...
She's using it
as a crispy element.

-Oh, my gosh!
This... you can smell it.
-Yeah, very smart.

All right, my sweet chefs you
have less than five minutes.

-You can do it.
-Come on, yes you can.

-Homestretch, y'all.
-Let's go, guys.

[cheering]

[Demetrius]
So as I'm trying to make
these pancakes,

I have a lot going on,
they keep burning to a crisp.

I do not have time to make
four individual pancakes.

I'm going to make
one big old pancake.

I decided to throw
all the batter in the pan,
pray to the food gods

and hope that this pancake
comes out fantastic.

Come on, Demetrius,
you can do it.

I run over
to extract my ice cream.

Oh, that ice cream
is coming out.

It should come out of this
smooth consistency.
Oh, my gosh!

It is totally over churned.

What's my time?

-You got two minutes
on the clock.
-[Nyesha] Two minutes.

I'm just trying to smooth
it out with just a touch
of heavy cream

and a little bit of milk.

-Push it.
Last seconds, push it.
-Come on, guys.

[Demetrius]
If I decided to try and make
a quick creme Anglaise

with the fried chicken
ice cream,

I'm going to melt
some of this,

but the ice cream
did not melt at all.

It's the most processed
ice cream
I've ever seen in my life.

Don't forget the pancake.

[Liza]
Thirty seconds, chefs.

[Demetrius]
As the final seconds
are counted down,

I prep my final pancake,
looks absolutely gorgeous.
Third time's a charm.

Come on, put it on the plate.

$10,000 guys.

Over in ten, nine,
eight, seven...

With seconds left,
I decide to use this
creme Anglaise as a garnish.

[Liza]
...four, three, two, one.

Fingers off the food.

-Good job. There you go.
-[cheering and applause]

Oh, my God!

I think my dessert looks
better than Demetrius'.

I don't want to jinx myself,
but I'm feeling confident.

Elise put up
a really good dessert,

but we're going to see that
the best chef comes out
on top.

I'm ready to taste $10,000.

[Liza]
Chef Demetrius, Chef Elise,
in our third round

you made desserts with uni,
fair trade chocolate,

pomegranates
and fried chicken ice cream.

Chef Demetrius,
what is on the plate?

I brought a little bit of
butter with some uni,

put the pancake in uni infused
chocolate sauce

and pomegranate gel.

Why do you need
to make a fluid gel?

It's a work of art.
At the end of the day,
we're not just chefs.

We're not just cooks.
We're artists.

When I think about desserts,
you know, it's a finale
of the meal, right?

It's saying like here's your
"piece de resistance," right?

And I feel loved.

You feel loved?
You taste the love?

I feel like you just hugged me
from the inside.

[laughing]

[Nyesha]
You really are taking
my palette on a journey.

That pomegranate,
it's very bright and acidic.

I would have loved to see
a lot more sort of uni.

I think that uni kind of is
a little bit hidden in there.

And Mei.

Visually stunning.
Great colors on the plate.

Unfortunately, I think that
the ice cream softened
that crispy cornflake texture.

For sure.
The moisture from that just
made everything like a glob.

Mmm-hmm.

All right, Chef Elise.

Please,
walk us through your dish.

I have a uni ice cream with
chocolate corn flake crunch

and pomegranate syrup.

This right here,
oh, my goodness!

I love this crunch.
That's what you're calling it?

-Yeah.
-Oh, my goodness!

It is delicious.

Extremely imaginative
using the corn flakes

as almost a feuilletine or
a thin wafer cr*cker, right,

with the chocolate.
It remained crunchy.

-Really took my mouth
just on a journey.
-Thank you.

Chef Elise, the most dangerous
part about cooking a dessert
is ice cream

and in this case
it got over churned.

You can taste
the ice crystals in it.
It watered it down.

And then the uni, it kind of
took a backseat a little bit.

Thank you, chef.

Yeah, I mean, it's such
a bummer for me

because uni is like one
of my favorite ingredients.

I will say the future looks
sweet with both of you,

so I will allow our judges
to deliberate over here

and let y'all go take
a final breather.

-Thank you.
-Thank you, chefs.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

Good job.

I'm here for my business
and the fine folks
that are employed there.

They're back home
cheering me on.

Got someone
who wants to say hello.

-Hi!
-[laughing]

-Hi!
-Hi guys.

-How's it going?
-I'm in the desert.

I had to talk to the judges
about some stuff

and then I started like,
talking about you guys

and then I was like, like,
[inhales] collect myself.

-Aw.
-[all laughing]

-Yeah, oh, man!
-We all miss you.

[laughing]

Thank you.

-We miss you.
-Yeah, I miss you guys too.

How's it going?

It's good.
We're on the last... last one.

[cheering and applause]

So we'll... we'll see.

At least I'll...
at least we'll be on TV
for a full hour.

I'm feeling good.
I'm feeling confident.

I definitely wasn't feeling
that way throughout,

but feeling,
I'm feeling strong.

To finally be in a position

where people want to work
under me

and I'm like a leader,
it's the best.

They're my family, for sure.

All right, my judges.

Let's start
with the appetizer.

Chef Elise made
an incredible appetizer.

This is a next gen dish right
here. I mean, it's just
absolutely stunning.

She hit it on the high notes
as far as the creativity,
the innovation,

but her gremolata overpowered
the cucumber,

almost you couldn't
even taste it.

And to Chef Demetrius.

For me, it just ate very
sweet on sweet on sweet.
Just no balance.

But he was innovative
in this first round

and all throughout
this competition.

-All right.
-[Nyesha]
With Chef Elise's entree,

everything felt
very harmonious.

This is next level cooking.

[Mei] You know, I do agree
with you although one thing
that's really unforgivable

is the amount of scales
that I had on my plate.

[Darnell]
Chef Demetrius did a great
job on cooking the fish.

The flavor with the rice,
made it all desirable,

but I thought the plating
of the upland cress
was just like his worst move.

Now, Chef Elise.
Dessert round.

A really great concept,

however, for me the ice cream
fell very short.

Chef Demetrius' dessert,
he did a lot of things good.

I would have rather
he did three things great.

Yeah.

[Liza]
Do we feel like
we've made a decision

as to which dish
is going to be chopped?

-I think so.
-Yeah, I think I'm there.

All right.
Let's get our chefs back in.

To win the $10,000 would be
a great source of pride

for my brand, my restaurant
and help us keep trekking
through this wild year.

[Demetrius]
I want to win it up
for the kids that...

that like to watch Chopped
like I did,

to show them that no matter
what life hands you,

you have to make
the best out of it.

So whose dish
is on the chopping block?

Chef Demetrius,
you have been chopped.

Congratulation, chef.

[Mei]
Chef Demetrius, you wear
your heart on your sleeve

and that really shows
in your plates.

However, your last horse
fell short on technique,
so you've been chopped.

-Thank you, Chef Demetrius.
-Thank you, chef.

-Thank you.
-Thank you. I appreciate.

[Demetrius] It sucks to lose,

but if there was anyone
worth losing to,
it's definitely her.

And you can tell that
she really cares about her
staff and her restaurant.

So it's kind of bittersweet.

[cheering and applause]

-Chef Elise, you are our
Chopped Next Gen champion.
-Thank you.

Strong cooking, chef,
really strong.

You came, you saw,
you conquered.

I'm representing
the next generation of cooks.

I think that
on behalf of all of us,

we're all moving
in the right direction

because it's not just
about making sexy food,

it's about mental health,
physical health,

making a livable wage,

the next generation
is about sustainability

both in the food,
our food system,

but also
in the restaurant industry.

I love that.

So, I'm happy to be the...
the one to pave the way.

[theme music playing]