CHEF: The next generation
of chefs, they cook like me.
CHEF: Great flavors, bold
spices, real wow food.
This is a whole new generation
of talent, and artists,
and chefs, whose
unique innovations
are redefining the culinary
landscape as we know it.
CHEF: We're just coming in and
we're breaking up the system.
CHEF: Trying to push the
envelope as much as possible.
CHEF: Modern food
and traditional food,
if you put them together,
you can do amazing things.
Look I'm a chef.
I'm running too.
Get the hell out of the way.
Let's go, chefs!
Go!
[music playing]
This looks crazy.
[music playing]
This is "Chopped Next Gen."
I wake up in the morning.
I live for this.
Oh, spicy.
We're looking for some
culinary innovation.
That's correct.
We're changing
the way we cook.
We're changing the way we eat.
JUDGE: We really expect to
see execution at his highest.
Dishes to transport our
taste buds into the future.
There's nothing that
screams next generation
than French fried gnocchi.
[music playing]
Come on.
Oh, oh.
[music playing]
Yo, what up, y'all?
It's your girl, Liza
Koshy, coming at you.
And you'll never
guess where I'm at.
I am in the kitchen
of "Chopped."
Do you believe that?
Well, believe this.
Four new chefs are
entering the kitchen
to show that they've
got the skills
to reshape the culinary
world as we know it.
So let's say hello
to the future.
[music playing]
MARTEL STONE: My
name is Martel Stone.
I'm executive chef
of the Gathering
Spot in Washington, DC.
My next gen chef
takes inspiration
from past generation and brings
it forward and modernized it.
That's my cooking in a nutshell.
Yo, something I'd say to
my competitor... thanks
for coming out, but
I'm taking this win.
[music playing]
ALISHA ELENZ: People don't
think I look like a chef.
They're kind of like,
what is this 5 foot
tall little girl going to do?
But my tattoo, one of these
says revel in the chaos.
So no one's going to stop me.
I was the executive chef at
MFK and Bar Biscay in Chicago.
I won the Jean Banchet
Rising Chef of the Year.
It's like Chicago's James Beard.
And then, I got nominated
for a James Beard.
Hey, chefs, I might
be smiling right now,
but I'll see you
on the other side.
I'm coming for you.
[music playing]
KANE SORRELLS: You're
going to hate me for it,
but you know I'm going
to win this competition.
My name is Kane
Sorrells, and I am a chef
based out of Los Angeles.
What I'm going to
bring to the kitchen
is a new look on how you
can manipulate ingredients.
I'm not going to
lose the $10,000.
So I'm going to
walk out with that,
and that's going to be that.
[SINGING] Check it out.
ROMAIN PAUMIER: When
I walk in a kitchen,
I always want to be the best.
My style of cooking
is very cosmopolitan.
I come from France.
And now I'm the
executive sous chef
at Restaurant Daniel,
two Michelin Star
restaurant in New York City.
"Next Gen" chef is for me...
I'm one that is going to
use every single ingredient
on the planet.
I handle the pressure well.
I just keep focusing
and go for it.
Voila!
What up, chefs?
And welcome to "Chopped
Next Gen," baby.
This is the arena where stars
are born and legacies begin.
Let me translate that for you,
it's a big deal to be here.
Ready to go.
There are three rounds.
We have appetizer,
entree, and dessert.
Not only are our judges going
to be evaluating you based
on taste, presentation,
creativity, but also
culinary innovation, all right?
We want you to prove to us that
you are the next gen chefs.
Yeah.
Of course.
I'm ready to kick a*s.
You know, there's also
$10,000 on the line.
That tastes pretty sweet.
100%.
I'm ready to go.
Right all right.
I know you're ready,
and it's ready for you.
Open up your crates in 3, 2, 1.
[music playing]
Oh, boy.
What the hell is this?
We have some cake.
LIZA KOSHY: You got
some honey toast.
Like a dessert
than an appetizer.
I don't know what I'm
going to do with this.
LIZA KOSHY: You also
got sea cucumber.
Sea cucumber is
similar to octopus,
but it's a lot more chewy.
What am I going to do with that?
LIZA KOSHY: Pea shoots.
Pea shoots is not something
that I use very often, uh?
What is this?
LIZA KOSHY: And corn liqueur.
And if you add all that up...
well, I don't know what you get,
but that's your job, not mine.
Have fun, chefs.
It's interesting.
You've 20 minutes
for appetizer around.
And the clock starts now.
[music playing]
JUDGES: Come on, chefs.
Let's go, chefs.
Let's go.
[inaudible]
- Right.
- Oh man.
Good way to start the day.
Our judges of "Chopped
Next Gen," award winning
chef and restaurateur, Mei Lin.
We're looking for how
these chefs are going
to transform these ingredients.
LIZA KOSHY: Esteemed, celebrated
chef Nyesha Arrington.
Take us into the
next generation, chefs.
LIZA KOSHY: And cuisine
pioneer Esdras Ochoa.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Future
looks bright today.
Yeah.
You haven't tasted yet.
It looks.
It looks.
It looks.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Let's go, chefs.
Dial in those flavors.
LIZA KOSHY: Judges,
please describe to me,
what are we looking for
today from our chefs?
The key is
showing us something
that we haven't seen before.
- Absolutely.
If you want to make your
mark in the culinary industry,
right, this is where
they're going to do that.
Stay true to yourself.
It shows.
You can taste it.
You can feel it.
You know.
At the end of the day,
it's about innovation,
progressive cooking, and who
are you as a "Next Gen" chef.
There we go.
[music playing]
I'm a self-taught chef,
didn't go to culinary school.
I grew up in the
millennial era where...
you know... YouTube University
told me everything that I
needed to know about cooking.
So that's a big old loaf
of honey toast right there.
There are different
fruits, whipped cream.
But for an appetizer, though,
that's going to be a challenge.
Especially against
sea cucumber.
How are we going
to make these work?
I've never worked with
sea cucumber before.
LIZA KOSHY: Describe to me the
taste of sea cucumber, Nyesha.
Sea cucumber, it was a
very mild, briny flavor.
LIZA KOSHY: Right, you know,
it looks like something I
would flush down to the sea.
[laughter]
I'm slicing it very, very
thin so that I can tenderize it.
My dish is grilled sea cucumber
with pea sh**t peri peri.
Just a little bit of
lemon and lime juice
is going to be a base for
a peri peri vinaigrette.
Peri peri, a South
African applesauce, a lot
of citrus juice and spice.
I decided not to use the spice.
I really want the
progression of the menu.
And I'm bringing
spice the next round.
I know I have really intense
flavors in front of me.
Growing up watching
"Chopped," I never even
thought I was
going to be a chef,
let alone competing
in the kitchen.
It's crazy.
I'm making a
sauteed sea cucumber
with rendered bacon, corn
liqueur syrup, raw pea shoots,
and Mediterranean olives.
[music playing]
I grabbed the Calabrian chilies
for the corn liqueur syrup.
Some [inaudible] just to kind
of balance out the sweetness.
I won the Jean Banchet
Rising Chef of the Year.
And then I got nominated
for a James Beard.
It's amazing to start building
success and getting awards
but realize that the
stakes just get even
higher, and higher, and higher.
So to win "Chopped
Next Generation,"
I would feel really
accomplished and really honored.
[music playing]
I'm thinking like, about
something that can elevate
the taste of the sea cucumber.
Going to season it with just
some ground cumin, some lemon,
some lime.
Going to grill just slowly, like
grilling an octopus, you know.
I'm making a grilled
sea cucumber, marinated
with a sweet fruit marinade, and
a pea sh**t aioli and almonds.
Oh wow.
He's gone to the grill.
That's going to impart a
lot of flavor into this dish.
- Absolutely.
- Right.
Very smart.
LIZA KOSHY: Speaking of flavor.
Corn liqueur, what
does that taste like?
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Definitely
some raw alcohol flavor.
So I would sort of cook
some of that alcohol off,
but there's a light
undertone of corn flavor.
All right, chefs,
you've got 50 minutes
for your appetizer round.
I grew up in Texas,
and so I love Tex-Mex.
And I want to make a tostada.
So I grab the corn tortillas.
It's not necessarily going
to be a Mexican flavor.
I just want to
kind of accentuate
the corn from the corn liqueur.
[music playing]
Sea cucumber.
I understand it has
the flavor of octopus.
It would be extremely hard to
cook octopus in 20 minutes.
And so I'm going to present the
sea cucumber in its raw form.
There's kind of a shift of power
between the old generation from
the new generation of chefs.
And winning this
competition would
mean that I am on the forefront
of that change of power.
Chefs, we got 10 minutes left.
Come on!
LIZA KOSHY: Let's go!
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Woo!
MEI LIN: Let's go, chefs!
[applause]
It's so intense.
I love it.
This competition is
one of the toughest
challenges I think I've had.
I'm going to have to bring it.
The corn liqueur tasted way
sweeter than I expected.
Oh, yeah.
I'm going to take most of the
stuff from the honey toast
and just combine it
into the corn liqueur
to make a syrup reduction.
[music playing]
A pea sh**t is delicious.
They're also referred
to as pea tendrils.
They're essentially
the offshoots
of the pea fruiting itself.
I would actually
make an oil out of it.
I would make like, a
really intense green oil.
To use the pea
sh**t, I decide to make
an aioli with some mayonnaise,
lemon juice, lime juice.
And it's good.
Chefs, five minutes left.
Let's go.
Let's go.
When I opened up
the honey toast,
I emptied out the ice
cream to taste the bread.
And so I pureed the bread
with anchovy and miso
to put on top of the tostada.
A lot of my components
are going to read sweet,
so I marinate the sea
cucumber with cilantro,
lemon, and jalapeno.
Chefs, start plating.
You got this, chefs.
Come on!
LIZA KOSHY: Come on, chefs!
[applause]
ESDRAS OCHOA: So intense.
I love it.
MEI LIN: So intense.
LIZA KOSHY: Yeah.
The pressure is so heavy.
Why did those puff up?
[bleep]
ESDRAS OCHOA: Chef Kane, he
looks a little disappointed
with this puffed up tortilla.
I know that it's not working,
definitely getting frustrated.
When you have a puffy
tortilla, it's not a tostada.
It is something
totally different.
Yup, yup.
Chef Kane looks stressed.
[grunts]
LIZA KOSHY: Chefs,
you have four minutes
on the clock, four minutes.
Four minutes.
I need to start
thinking of plating.
The corn tortilla,
just started to puff
up inside the fryer, not good.
I know that I need to
just start plating.
LIZA KOSHY: Let's go, chefs.
Come on!
You got this.
You got this.
Everything matters.
MEI LIN: You got it.
LIZA KOSHY: Chefs, you
have three minutes.
Three minutes, chefs.
You got to get some food
on those plates, guys.
I'm going to do
like, a marinade
to put around the sea cucumber.
It's going to be a little sweet.
I don't know.
It's basically fruit that I
plated from the honey toast,
blended with heavy
cream, and it will bring
some pep to the sea cucumber.
NYESHA ARRINGTON:
Bring this home, guys.
LIZA KOSHY: You've
got one minute!
The final 60 seconds
on the clock.
MEI LIN: Let's go.
Big push.
Big push.
Let's go!
ESDRAS OCHOA: Last few
seconds, guys, come on chefs.
Countdown is a coming.
[music playing]
Here we go, final seconds.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Chefs, hands up.
[applause]
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Wow.
Wow.
Well done.
Wow.
KANE SORRELLS: The
details, they'll get you.
The smallest things, like
the tortillas puffing up.
But hopefully the
judges like it.
[music playing]
LIZA KOSHY: All right, chefs.
Welcome to the chopping block.
You were given honey
toast, sea cucumber,
pea shoots, and corn liqueur.
Chef Alisha, walk us
through what's on your dish.
I did sauteed sea cucumber
with rendered pork and shallot
on Mediterranean olives,
as well, to balance it out.
[music playing]
I love the rustic
look to the dish.
It speaks to me very, very
much because that's my style.
I would have done a little
bit more with the pea shoots
instead of just
using it as a bed.
You know, at a level
like this, you know,
you're expecting almost
every little attention
to every little detail.
Chef Alisha, I feel like
I'm eating this almost like,
classic spinach salad, that
play on a hot bacon dressing.
The olives almost seem like
an afterthought, maybe sort
of transform that olive,
maybe plop them and saute
them in with your bacon.
I love that you used the
fruit from the brick toast
into your dressing.
I thought that was really smart.
Thank you, Chef Alisha.
Thank you, chefs.
LIZA KOSHY: All right.
Chef Martel.
So in front of you I have
a grilled sea cucumber,
and a pea tendril peri peri.
And how would you describe
being a next generation chef?
Being a chef of
color, a lot of times
we just want to step out and
have just an opportunity.
I just want to continue
doing the work, opening doors
for people coming behind
me, similar to what
Chef Nyesha's done.
Thank you for your
dish, Chef Martel.
Overall, really beautiful, very
bright, so innovative to use
pea tendrils as your
base for peri peri,
that's next level cooking.
But when you say peri peri
to me, do you think chili?
I decided to leave out the
chilies that would normally
be in a peri peri because
I kind of want to have
a progression in the menu.
Calling something a peri
peri when there's no spice,
it doesn't sit well.
Yeah.
But visually
stunning, the dressing,
the sauce was delicious.
It's a beautiful dish.
It has a lot of sex appeal.
Yeah, yeah.
My favorite part, I got
to say, is the fragrance.
It just puts me
right... right into it.
I enjoyed the contrast with
the sweet and savory, big props
on that, taming on the
sweetness from the liqueur
and from the sweet toast.
Thank you.
LIZA KOSHY: Awesome.
Thank you, Chef Martel.
Thank you.
Chef Romain.
So this is a
grilled sea cucumber
with a sweet fruit marinade.
And on the bottom,
pea sh**t aioli.
[chuckles] Bon apetit.
MEI LIN: Chef Romain, can
you tell me a little bit
about your background?
I'm from France,
as you can tell.
I'm far from my
family and my friends,
so you sacrifice to be here.
But it's... it's a huge goal for
me to learn as much as I can,
and see what I can do with this.
Romain, merci beaucoup.
Amazing dish, very vibrant.
The pea sh**t aioli, superb.
Merci.
Beautiful.
Culinary innovation, I
definitely see it here.
Thank you.
So for me, and you got
to bottle this aioli.
It's really, really good.
It's refreshing.
I can see it on sandwiches,
on tacos, on anything, man.
The aioli was spectacular.
- Thank you.
Thank you, chef.
When I saw the large
cut of your sea cucumber,
I was actually a little afraid
because it was a pretty hard
item to cook in 20 minutes.
But the piece that I
got was pretty tender.
Thanks.
I really love that you
used the fruit to marinade
your sea cucumber with.
Yeah.
I wish that you
toasted the almonds.
Yeah.
When you have a
raw nut, it kind of
leaves like, a certain residue
in your teeth, in your mouth.
But overall, I really...
I really loved your dish.
Thank you.
Chef Kane, please walk
us through your dish.
So what we have
here is a tostada.
The whole idea
behind this dish was
to try to bring each
individual ingredient to life,
and then tie together with
one new kind of vessel.
[crunches]
First, visually, you know,
you eat with your eyes,
and I thought, wow,
just an amazing array
of beautiful freshness.
Thank you, chef.
I really appreciate that.
I love the sizing
of the tostada.
Sure.
You know, the
fact that it puffed
up, lightens up the dish.
Got you.
And the miso, I thought
that was really inventive.
Although it came
across very sweet.
Sure.
I would have loved to see
a little bit more spice.
When I saw that
jalapeno in there,
I thought, yes, this is
going to be exciting.
And you know, the
spiciness fell short.
I enjoyed it.
It reminds me of home.
It's simple.
It's straight to the point.
Thank you so much, chef.
But I did not see much of
innovation on this tostada.
What is innovative
about this tostada?
What causes for me to
be like, Chef Kane,
wow, that blew my mind.
That is definitely
next generation.
I got to see this.
It's on YouTube.
It's going to go viral.
I wanna see risk.
[music playing]
Chefs, your hustle
in the appetizer round
was extraordinary.
But unfortunately,
one of your dishes
is on the chopping block.
I think Romain's definitely
my biggest competition.
They seemed really
happy with Chef Romain
and... and his food
sounded amazing.
So I wanted to eat it.
The nerves are
definitely there.
A lot of the competitors are
doing really, really good food,
but I didn't come here to lose.
The food that I'm putting out
is the food that I believe in.
Only three of you
will be moving forward.
[suspenseful music]
Whose dish is on
the chopping block?
[suspenseful music]
Chef Kane, you
have been chopped.
Judges.
Chef Kane, there were
a few fundamental flaws.
The sweetness from
your miso sauce
took the dish in two directions.
OK.
This competition is about
innovation on the plate,
and unfortunately you
played it a bit safe.
And for these reasons,
you've been chopped.
[music playing]
I agree with everything
the judges said.
It is very difficult to
focus on so many things
within 20 minutes of time.
And so, you know,
it is what it is.
[music playing]
[car alarm beeps]
Thank you.
I mean...
[chuckles] Look at this.
[laughter]
I stop traffic.
I stop traffic in a parking lot.
[laughter]
Chef Alisha, Chef Romaine,
and Chef Martel you made it!
You survived the
appetizer round,
which means you now know how
talented the other chefs are.
So you've got to bring it.
Ready to go.
Now, let's take a look
at your entree crates.
[suspenseful music]
All right, chefs.
Open up your crates.
[music playing]
Oh wow.
LIZA KOSHY: What
you're working with
are vegetable curry cupcakes.
ROMAIN PAUMIER: It
smells like curry.
That's a curry cupcake.
LIZA KOSHY: You also have
a plant-based burger.
ALISHA ELENZ: That adds a spin.
Brisket.
LIZA KOSHY: Brisket.
ALISHA ELENZ: Brisket.
I'm familiar with that.
What is that?
LIZA KOSHY: And oca.
ALISHA ELENZ: These
I have to try.
[music playing]
LIZA KOSHY: You have 30
minutes on the clock.
And that clock starts now.
There they go.
Let's go!
Come one, chefs!
I have too many
things in my head.
I don't know what I'm
going to do with these yet.
LIZA KOSHY: The chefs
have 30 minutes to cook
with all of those ingredients.
MEI LIN: Very
difficult. They have
a very tough cut of meat that
takes a lot of time to process.
ESDRAS OCHOA: It's part
of the cow stomach.
You get pretty much two
parts, one is a little fattier
than the other.
But you got to
braise it for hours.
And so, are they
going to grind it?
I think that would be
the smartest play here.
It's much fat.
It's too much fat.
Moving into this round,
it's really important
that I bring the flavor
and I bring the spice.
Brisket has a lot
of fat content.
So I need to get it
broken down, and get
some of that fat rendered out.
We also have a plant-based
burger with no buns,
because we're sh**ting in LA.
[laughs] So they're
having several elements
to that burger... avocado,
plant-based beet.
The first time I ever
had that, it blew me away.
It tasted just like meat.
Does it?
And it bled, and everything.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Beet protein
is basically the binder.
There's beets,
that's the element
that actually makes it bleed.
I see this veggie burger, and
I get rid of all the components
except for the avocado.
I'm building a pickling
liquid for my avocado.
I'm making a roasted
brisket with onion,
and curry cupcake puree,
and pickled avocados.
OK.
Next, I'm getting my puree
onions, garlic, chowder.
And I get those
into the pizza oven.
Oh, looks like Martel has
a cast iron of vegetables
in the wood fire oven.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Wow.
And he's getting quite a
char on those vegetables.
LIZA KOSHY: Yeah.
OK.
Ooh.
[sizzles]
ROMAIN PAUMIER: I
sear the brisket.
I'm a little worried because
I'm not going to have time to do
the same way that I usually do.
And I'm going to have to
figure something very fast.
[music playing]
We're going to sear it.
I'm going to marinate it
with some of the curry cream
from the cupcake.
The actual cupcake
is pretty mild.
Frosting, however,
very curry forward.
Chefs, you have 20 minutes on
the clock, exactly 20 minutes.
I can't puree with this.
I'm making a traditional
eggplant caviar.
It's roasted eggplant,
scooped out, and blended.
I need to use the
pizza oven, too.
[bleep] Looks like
he's doing it.
Chef Martel has his
stuff in the pizza oven.
I think it's going
to be a problem.
Being able to cook at
such a high temperature
and impart that smoky flavor
is going to be amazing.
I would fight my
way to get in there.
How bad do you want to win?
Oh, there you go.
I bet he wants this $10,000.
Let's go, chefs.
Figure it out.
So I just go and
put my stuff inside.
Yeah, I was going to
use these as breadcrumbs.
Now I'm going to use them
as my bread to combine
when I brine my meat.
Going into this
entree round, I'm
going to show that
I'm here to win,
and I can take critiques and
turn around in the next round
and work harder
than everybody else.
So I tasted the oca.
It's like a starchy,
subtle, apple flavor.
Not good.
Oca is a delicious tuber.
It is very crunchy in texture.
Think of it as a potato.
You can pickle it.
You can boil it.
You can fry it.
I know that if I pickle it,
I can still keep the texture
but also add a little
bit of flavor to it.
What's you plan?
I'm going to make
an avocado tuna aioli.
Chef Alisha you just
whipped out a can of tuna.
Interesting.
I just feel like
it'll balance out
the fattiness from the meat.
[blender]
Can I get a meat grinder?
Oh, she's going
in the grinder.
Winning the $10,000
would be super cool.
I come from Chicago, and we
have a huge homeless problem.
And it would mean a lot to be
able to bring that money home
and feed people, because
that's literally what we do,
is feed people.
Let's see how that works.
[blending]
All right, chefs, I'm going
out onto the dance floor.
- OK.
- Yeah.
Have fun.
Have fun.
Chef Alisha.
Coming in hot.
She's grinding right now.
I know a thing or
two about grinding.
Tie me in, Chef.
I was going to try to
do a deconstructed burger.
All right.
All right.
How about that tuna?
The tuna, I am
making aioli out of it.
Making it... oh, aioli?
Eh, ole!
That's what we're doing
with that tuna right there.
Chef Martel, how we doing?
I'm doing.
Yeah, you're doing.
So I'm building the
base for my onion puree.
I'm going to use a little
bit of the vegetable
curry cupcake as a base.
OK.
OK.
Have you ever had a vegetable
curry cupcake before?
I haven't.
Only on "Chopped."
"Next Gen."
There we go.
Chef Romain, what are
we doing over here?
Right now what's
going on is the brisket
is cooking in the oven.
I mean, I need to
sear it more normally,
but the flame was not very hot.
OK.
So I had to do that.
I'm grilling my
eggplant in the...
Go get it, man.
Go get it!
These chefs are moving fast.
Look, I'm a chef.
I'm running too.
[laughter]
These chefs are moving fast.
I see the smoke coming up.
You see that?
I'm in 5-inch heels.
My god.
Chefs, you have
10 minutes left.
[cheering]
I'm taking the bread
from the cupcake,
that veggie burger too, and I'm
mixing them with the brisket.
Making another burger out of it.
But I realize I don't have
enough time to make burgers.
So I'm going to make meatballs.
Chef Alisha, I saw you
making a burger earlier.
Is this your plan B?
Yeah.
This is like, my
plan D right now.
Plan E, what you making?
What's plan E about?
I'm making meatballs.
My initial idea was
to single fry the oca.
I didn't get the
crunch that I wanted.
I grab flour and bread
the oca a little bit,
and I give it a second fry.
Come on, Chef Martel.
Come on, Chef Romain.
Behind.
Come on, guys.
Com on, chefs.
Go!
All right.
I need to take care
of this eggplant.
I'm adding additional mustard
to this grilled eggplant
to make a "Chopped" puree.
Chefs, start plating.
Five minutes left.
Let's go!
Let's go!
As if the mystery crate
is not stressful enough,
we're battling
with the elements,
and it's super windy and I
cannot get my flames to light.
I don't think I'm
getting any heat.
And so now I'm working
with zero burners.
[suspenseful music]
Guys, Chef Alisha
has switched stations.
Her over went out midway.
Oh, wow.
Wow.
Oven going out?
I want to throw an apron on.
[laughs] Get in there and help.
I don't even have time to
ask how much time I have left.
But I know that the
time is just going.
Chefs, you have
three minutes left.
Three minutes.
Come on, chefs.
Oh my...
[interposing voices]
You got to start plating.
ESDRAS OCHOA: You got it.
You got it.
You got it.
MEI LIN: Come on, Chef Alisha.
Need to watch
something, [inaudible]
crispy side of the dish.
I know I'm going to
take the tortilla.
It's almost too late to
start adding more ingredients.
My main concern right
now is I really don't want
to serve the judges raw meat.
It's not looking
good over there.
I don't think Chef
Alisha is going to make it.
Oh no.
LIZA KOSHY: Here we go.
Final seconds.
ESDRAS OCHOA: You
got to plate, Alisha.
LIZA KOSHY: 10, 9, 8, 7...
Don't worry about it.
Just got to plate.
LIZA KOSHY: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Chefs, hands up!
That sucked.
I think the flavors will be
OK, but not my best dish.
That's for sure.
Not as confident as
I was at the beginning
of the first round.
But I know my flavors
are really, really solid.
And I'm hungry
and I want to win.
[suspenseful music]
Chefs, your entree
round included
plant-based burger,
brisket, oca,
and vegetable curry cupcakes.
Chef Martel.
What I have in front of you
is a roasted brisket with onion
and curry cupcake puree, twice
fried oca, and pickled avocado.
How bad do you
want this, chef?
Really bad.
I've been pacing for
a week and a half.
So...
You've been pacing
for a week and a half?
Get your steps in.
I'm trying.
Chef Nyesha, let's
start with you.
Absolutely.
First, I want to say,
how innovative it is
to think to pickle an avocado.
I've not seen that in all
of my 18 years of cooking.
I've never seen a
pickled avocado.
I commend you for you
making a roasted brisket
because that is really risky.
Brisket can get really dry.
The fattier pieces that I
have are nice and moist,
but the more leaner end
is a little bit more dry.
Yeah, I realize the
brisket would have been kind
of dry either way the
way I was cooking it,
so I was just trying to
add as many moist elements
on the plate as possible.
No, kudos.
Like, I love all those flavors.
I actually love the
twice cooked oca.
I thought that was really smart.
If I was to eat that piece
of meat with my eyes closed,
you would think almost it
was like a like a strip
loin, New York steak.
It was super tender,
surprisingly, being brisket.
But I got to say, the oca,
that's zero salt at all.
Don't be scared of salt,
season it properly.
Thank you, Chef Martel.
Thank you.
Chef Romaine.
What will our judges be eating?
So you guys are going to
have a Provencal sweet curry
brisket, child eggplant caviar,
and a little of pickles of oca,
and some corn tortilla
just dusted with salt
and curry powder.
You know, when I saw that
eggplant go in the pizza oven,
I said, eggplant caviar, please.
It's one of my most
favorite, beloved dishes.
So thank you for that.
How inventive it is
to put Dijon mustard.
I've never thought about that.
It gives such a pop of
flavor and brightness.
Yeah.
I like the fact that you
had different components.
I'm dipping.
I'm scooping.
I'm slicing.
And then I got my chip.
It's really, really good.
And it played really,
really well with the steak.
Thanks, Chef.
But I wish you would have
cooked it slightly less,
the steak.
It's a little bit overcooked.
Um, looking at the
dish, it's very brown.
Did you want to add
more colors to the dish?
I wanted to add more
texture and more garnish.
That's why at the end I came
up with the crispy tortilla.
I definitely felt that was a
smart move in terms of texture.
All these flavors all
in all work together.
Yup.
OK.
Thank you, Chef.
Chef Alisha.
Please walk us through
what's on our judges plates.
So for today I made
you guys vegetable
and brisket meatballs
with a tuna aioli,
avocado mash, and pickled oca.
LIZA KOSHY: Sounds amazing.
Thank you, chef.
Very sweet aroma to it.
It's enticing.
I like it.
LIZA KOSHY: Chef Alisha,
you had us out of our seats.
You used every single
second out there.
You said it was plan
E that you were on.
Plan Z. I had so many plans.
Even up until the last
second my mind kept changing.
LIZA KOSHY: Yeah, you turned
curveballs into meatballs.
[laughs] I did.
LIZA KOSHY: Yea.
ALISHA ELENZ: It's
like, I don't know
if the meatballs are
going to be cooked,
but I felt confident
about the flavors.
The meatball is cooked,
cooked thoroughly, you know.
It's tender.
I commend you.
Like, you got it done.
Honestly, I
thought you lost it.
I thought you had given up.
And you proved me wrong.
The flavors are very, very nice.
The only thing I would critique
on is the avocado mash.
Just give it a little
splash of lime or lemon,
and I think other than
that it's a good dish.
I enjoyed it.
It's fun.
Thank you, Chef.
When it landed I
thought, wow, I mean,
we all eat with our eyes first.
The vibrancy, and the colors,
the orange, and the yellows,
and the pink.
It jumped off the plate.
I love your use of the
plant-based burger.
I thought that was very
intelligent to really
transform, right, this brisket.
Thank you, Chef.
You know, I love the play
on the two different sauces,
but everything just
kind of ate soft.
I wanted a little
bit more texture,
and I was hoping to
get that from your sear
from the meatball.
Chef Alisha, what would
it mean to you to be
"Chopped Next Gen" champion?
Of course, everybody
wants to win.
I'm also from Chicago.
So you know, we're very
competitive people.
OK.
But also, I got nominated
for a James Beard.
Yeah.
And getting nominated
for it instantly
puts this pressure that
you feel like you have
to live up to all the time.
Yeah.
You know, diamonds are
made under pressure.
Romain, what does it mean
to be a next generation chef?
It means a lot to
me because I work
for Chef Daniel
Boulud, one of the best
chefs in the culinary industry.
And I'm very proud
to work for him.
So I want to prove
most chefs can
be so open minded about
food and about the world,
and put everything together on
a plate and make like a travel,
like a voyage.
Chef Martel, can
you tell me how long
exactly have you been cooking?
Six years.
LIZA KOSHY: Wow.
All the chefs have
a lot of acclaim,
James Beard award winners,
people work for Daniel Boulud.
I'm a self-taught chef.
I didn't go to culinary
school, but my drive
comes from wanting to be
better as a chef every day.
[suspenseful music]
Chefs, now we say
goodbye to one of you.
I'm getting a little nervous.
My heart is beating
through my throat.
I'm just scared what's
going to happen next.
[suspenseful music]
Whose dish is on
the chopping block?
[suspenseful music]
Chef Romain, you
have been chopped.
Judges.
Chef Romain, this
was really tough.
And it was really close.
But your brisket
was overcooked, and
your use of the
mystery ingredients
was not very transformative.
And so for that reason,
you have been chopped.
Thank you.
I'm a little bit, you
know, disappointed.
I understand why the
judges decide to chop me,
because the meat was overcooked.
I had many ideas about
cooking my dessert right now.
But that's the game, you know.
Chef Alisha, the
competition was very close.
Had you have not
been so innovative,
you would have been
on the chopping block.
I'm shocked, by the way.
I'm really surprised by that.
Thank you, chefs.
Chefs, you both
came here to win.
Yeah.
It's either of you
bringing home that 10K.
So bring that flavor,
bring that innovation,
and take us into
the next generation.
OK.
Let's see what you got.
Yes, chef.
Yes, chef.
[music playing]
Chef Alisha, Chef Martel.
One step closer to $10,000.
Bring that fire.
Bring that fearlessness.
Bring all the flavor
and represent yourself.
Let's see what's in
those crates, then.
[suspenseful music]
Open them up.
Chefs, you've got deep fried
Sriracha, dried blueberries...
There it is.
Fennel.
Oh, fennel.
And just in case you thought
the hard part of the day
was over...
ALISHA: I'm going to
guess that's coffee.
Mushroom water.
Mushroom water?
I'm sorry, what?
What kind of mushroom?
That's the question.
[laughter]
Final round, chefs.
The dessert round.
30 minutes on the clock.
And that clock starts now.
Come on, chefs!
[cheering]
- Come on.
ESDRAS OCHOA: You
got this, chefs.
Come on!
Come on, chefs!
I can't believe I'm in the
final round of "Chopped."
I have to bring it in
this dessert round.
My brain's turning.
I'm making a vanilla panna cotta
with rehydrated blueberries
and cherries, deep-fried
sriracha crumb, fennel
fries, and Marcona almonds.
I'm definitely going to
use gelatin and cornstarch.
I'm hoping it'll set in time.
[inaudible], Chef?
Oh, yes, take it.
Thanks.
One thing that impresses
me very much of Martel
is that he always
maintained his composure.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Absolutely.
Alisha said she has a
lot of pressure on her
and being a James Beard nom.
But she said, you
know, I'm from Chicago.
I'm very competitive.
And I see that in her.
She's got the chops.
It's good.
Chef Alisha is a competitor.
She's a James Beard
nominated chef.
So I knew no matter
the pressure,
she would find a
way to overcome.
So I just need to execute
so that I can take
the "Chopped" championship.
Fried Sriracha.
What?
What is that?
It's just a spicy fritter.
It definitely has that little
spice in the back of my throat.
It's crunchy, so it'll
add a textural component
to their dish.
I always love
cast iron cookies.
This is my opportunity
to do my version using
a little bit of fried Sriracha.
My dish for this
final round is spiced
cookie with
caramelized fennel foam
and rehydrated blueberries.
So I'll put the fennel
in the pizza oven
just so I can roast and
start to caramelize.
I have no idea how
I would incorporate
fennel into a dessert,
which is why I'm not chef.
Thank you, chefs.
You can use those
fennel fronds,
or you can use the
bulb on the fennel,
which has more anise flavors,
or flavors like black licorice.
OK.
Does it pair nicely
with mushroom water?
Mushroom water.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Oh, here we go.
Here we go.
Like a shot.
MEI LIN: I love this.
- Wow.
Very surprisingly good.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: There's
turmeric, there's cinnamon.
It actually reads a little
cinnamon forward on my palate.
So you actually don't get
much mushroom flavor from it.
So I decided to take
the mushroom water
and add it with the blueberries.
I'm trying to figure out
a way to impart flavor
and I thought earthy
notes inside of a dessert.
I grab pink peppercorns,
cinnamon, and coriander, which
will bring up the aroma
and the spicy notes
inside of this cookie.
MEI LIN: A pizzookie?
Yo, what's up?
A pizza cookie?
Pizza cookie.
It's a cookie.
It's a cookie.
It is interesting that
he's making a large one.
I'd think to make the...
make three small ones.
Yeah, individual...
...quicker time to cook.
Right.
That is one big skillet.
MEI LIN: Chef Alisha, she's
made a pretty good custard.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Wow.
Chefs, we got 10 minutes left.
Come on!
Let's go!
Let's go, chefs!
[cheering]
Come on, chefs.
MEI LIN: Chef Martel is
bringing out his pizzookie.
Oh wow.
That just came out of the pan.
What?
I'm adding my grapefruit.
And that acidity will play
well along with the fennel...
citrus, fennel.
It's alive.
I'm also using the [inaudible],,
which will take a very, very
heavy, fatty cream,
and turn it into this
light caramelized fennel foam.
Chefs, you have
less than two minutes.
Look at Alisha tasting
all those flavors together.
That's the stuff right there.
She's tasting, but she's
actually fighting for her life
right now.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Wow.
If... if Chef
Romain hadn't messed
up on his brisket, it'd be her.
Less than 30.
So I decided to use the deep
fried Sriracha as a crumble
because I feel like, it will
go perfectly with the flavors
that I have in the
vanilla pudding.
Countdown's a
coming, and it's in 10,
9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
Hands up!
ESDRAS OCHOA: Yeah, all right.
LIZA KOSHY: Just in time, yes!
ESDRAS OCHOA: Well done.
- Wow.
[sigh]
[music playing]
I think this is definitely
my redemption round,
so I feel really good about it.
I feel like I showed a lot
of innovation and restraint.
I think I highlighted
the spice in there.
It's a $10,000 dish.
I'm good with it.
[suspenseful music]
CREW: Resetting.
Judging and tasting,
round three.
Rolling.
Chef Alisha and Chef Martel.
In the third round,
you made desserts
with deep fried Sriracha,
dried blueberries,
fennel, and mushroom water.
Chef Martel, can you please
walk us through your dish?
I have for you
a Sriracha cookie
with a caramelized fennel
foam, a little bit of plump
blueberries, and grapefruit.
And Chef Martel, when did you
fall in love with the kitchen?
Ooh.
I was... I was dating a
woman a couple of years ago.
And she was a chef.
She made me a French
omelet, and that
was the first time I
got a chance to really,
really taste any type
of real cooking skills.
It changed everything
so much so that I...
I left the military
and decided to step
out and see what I could do.
It's a love story that
continued on for yourself.
Oh, no, we're done.
But you're not.
You're here...
Yeah.
...on "Chopped Next Gen."
Eh, oh!
Judges, how do we feel
about this dish today?
[sigh] First off,
big, big problem.
It's too beautiful to eat, man.
I don't want to eat it, man.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
ESDRAS OCHOA: That is
a good problem to have.
You know how to
compose a dish.
The grapefruit, the
basil, the fennel,
like, all of those
things work together.
And fried Sriracha
in the cookie,
I thought it was ingenious.
But the amount of cookie
that you put in your dish
unfortunately sucked
up all of that salt.
Sure.
It's interesting
that you chose
to rehydrate your blueberries
with that mushroom water.
It's interesting.
There's still a bit of
toothsomeness to them.
Yup.
So I thought the
flavors all made sense.
I thought this
dessert was strong.
Thanks.
Chef Alisha, please.
I made you guys
vanilla pudding
with rehydrated
blueberries and cherries,
deep fried Sriracha
crumb, fennel
fronds, and Marcona almonds.
The texture's
definitely there.
You get the balance
is a sweet, salty.
The blueberries were cooked
down perfectly as well.
I think the weakness
was the presentation.
Of course.
The presentation is
so important nowadays.
But if I was to eat this
blindfolded, I'm a fan.
Delicious.
Thank you.
You know, I love the
crunch from the Marconas.
And I love a crumb as well.
The crumb, nice and crunchy.
The dried blueberry for me...
it was... it was a pop of sour.
It kind of derailed
my... my palate a bit.
Sorry about that.
No, no, please, don't be.
Overall, really amazing.
You should be proud.
- Thank you, Chef.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Yeah.
LIZA KOSHY: Chefs,
you've both given
the judges a lot to consider.
Now, let's give
them a few minutes.
Thank you, chefs.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Good luck, Chefs.
[suspenseful music]
Clearly we have two
very talented chefs.
Chef Martel, I mean,
what a cerebral chef.
You can see his brain
working in overdrive
when he's creating his dishes.
It's a joy to watch him cook.
Alisha came into
this competition
and crashed through
those hurdles.
She was not afraid.
What did we see from Chef
Alisha in the appetizer around?
ESDRAS OCHOA: The
flavors were delicious.
And she knew what she was
going for, and she stuck to it.
LIZA KOSHY: Yeah.
ESDRAS OCHOA: But the
way she used the pea
shoots, right, very basic.
No wow factor there.
Chef Martel's
appetizer, I thought, wow.
This is definitely
a fine dining chef.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Absolutely.
ESDRAS OCHOA: The
thing I wish he
would have had... a little bit
of heat on that peri peri.
MEI LIN: Chef
Alisha's entree dish.
She was smart enough to know
that brisket is a tough cut
of meat and grabbed a grinder.
That's really what we're
looking for... smart chefs
for the next generation.
However, there was no texture,
and I was hoping to get
that sear from the meatball.
And the dish, very soft.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Chef
Martel, on the main course
I was blown away by the
way he cooked the brisket.
MEI LIN: Totally.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Only
downfall of that dish,
he didn't use the oca properly.
And that's the biggest
mistake you see sometimes.
People... they're scared of salt,
small details are so meaningful
and they're so important.
All right.
Do we know which dish is
on our chopping block?
Yes.
Yes.
LIZA KOSHY: OK.
[suspenseful music]
I know that I had to come into
this round and really k*ll it.
I mean, I worked my
butt off, but Martel
is really fierce competition.
So this is going to be tough.
So, whose dish is
on the chopping block?
From the beginning, Chef
Alisha's been amazing.
But I think I deserve to win.
[suspenseful music]
LIZA KOSHY: Chef Alisha,
you have been chopped.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Alisha,
on the main course,
was very soft as a
whole and one note.
As far as your dessert goes,
you could have done so much
more with that presentation.
And for this reason
you have been chopped.
But I give you a promise
before you leave tonight
that if you continue
what you're doing,
and you channel in
that power within you,
you can achieve
greatness in life.
Thank you, chefs.
It was an honor.
Congratulations.
I'm proud of you.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chef Alisha.
I just got chopped.
You know, it's
never fun to lose,
but to be honest with you, I
just feel like he earned it.
He did a great job.
And that means,
Chef Martel Stone,
you are our "Chopped
Next Gen" champion.
And you're walking
away with 10 grand.
[applause and cheering]
Great job, Chef.
Congratulations!
Now the world sees
that not only can I cook,
but I can also like, push.
The future is
infinite for you.
[music playing]
CHEF: The next generation
of chefs, they cook like me.
CHEF: Great flavors, bold
spices, real wow food.
This is a whole new generation
of talent, and artists,
and chefs, whose
unique innovations
are redefining the culinary
landscape as we know it.
CHEF: We're just coming in and
we're breaking up the system.
CHEF: Trying to push the
envelope as much as possible.
CHEF: Modern food
and traditional food,
if you put them together,
you can do amazing things.
Look I'm a chef.
I'm running too.
Get the hell out of the way.
Let's go, chefs!
Go!
[music playing]
This looks crazy.
[music playing]
This is "Chopped Next Gen."
I wake up in the morning.
I live for this.
Oh, spicy.
We're looking for some
culinary innovation.
That's correct.
We're changing
the way we cook.
We're changing the way we eat.
JUDGE: We really expect to
see execution at his highest.
Dishes to transport our
taste buds into the future.
There's nothing that
screams next generation
than French fried gnocchi.
[music playing]
Come on.
Oh, oh.
[music playing]
Yo, what up, y'all?
It's your girl, Liza
Koshy, coming at you.
And you'll never
guess where I'm at.
I am in the kitchen
of "Chopped."
Do you believe that?
Well, believe this.
Four new chefs are
entering the kitchen
to show that they've
got the skills
to reshape the culinary
world as we know it.
So let's say hello
to the future.
[music playing]
MARTEL STONE: My
name is Martel Stone.
I'm executive chef
of the Gathering
Spot in Washington, DC.
My next gen chef
takes inspiration
from past generation and brings
it forward and modernized it.
That's my cooking in a nutshell.
Yo, something I'd say to
my competitor... thanks
for coming out, but
I'm taking this win.
[music playing]
ALISHA ELENZ: People don't
think I look like a chef.
They're kind of like,
what is this 5 foot
tall little girl going to do?
But my tattoo, one of these
says revel in the chaos.
So no one's going to stop me.
I was the executive chef at
MFK and Bar Biscay in Chicago.
I won the Jean Banchet
Rising Chef of the Year.
It's like Chicago's James Beard.
And then, I got nominated
for a James Beard.
Hey, chefs, I might
be smiling right now,
but I'll see you
on the other side.
I'm coming for you.
[music playing]
KANE SORRELLS: You're
going to hate me for it,
but you know I'm going
to win this competition.
My name is Kane
Sorrells, and I am a chef
based out of Los Angeles.
What I'm going to
bring to the kitchen
is a new look on how you
can manipulate ingredients.
I'm not going to
lose the $10,000.
So I'm going to
walk out with that,
and that's going to be that.
[SINGING] Check it out.
ROMAIN PAUMIER: When
I walk in a kitchen,
I always want to be the best.
My style of cooking
is very cosmopolitan.
I come from France.
And now I'm the
executive sous chef
at Restaurant Daniel,
two Michelin Star
restaurant in New York City.
"Next Gen" chef is for me...
I'm one that is going to
use every single ingredient
on the planet.
I handle the pressure well.
I just keep focusing
and go for it.
Voila!
What up, chefs?
And welcome to "Chopped
Next Gen," baby.
This is the arena where stars
are born and legacies begin.
Let me translate that for you,
it's a big deal to be here.
Ready to go.
There are three rounds.
We have appetizer,
entree, and dessert.
Not only are our judges going
to be evaluating you based
on taste, presentation,
creativity, but also
culinary innovation, all right?
We want you to prove to us that
you are the next gen chefs.
Yeah.
Of course.
I'm ready to kick a*s.
You know, there's also
$10,000 on the line.
That tastes pretty sweet.
100%.
I'm ready to go.
Right all right.
I know you're ready,
and it's ready for you.
Open up your crates in 3, 2, 1.
[music playing]
Oh, boy.
What the hell is this?
We have some cake.
LIZA KOSHY: You got
some honey toast.
Like a dessert
than an appetizer.
I don't know what I'm
going to do with this.
LIZA KOSHY: You also
got sea cucumber.
Sea cucumber is
similar to octopus,
but it's a lot more chewy.
What am I going to do with that?
LIZA KOSHY: Pea shoots.
Pea shoots is not something
that I use very often, uh?
What is this?
LIZA KOSHY: And corn liqueur.
And if you add all that up...
well, I don't know what you get,
but that's your job, not mine.
Have fun, chefs.
It's interesting.
You've 20 minutes
for appetizer around.
And the clock starts now.
[music playing]
JUDGES: Come on, chefs.
Let's go, chefs.
Let's go.
[inaudible]
- Right.
- Oh man.
Good way to start the day.
Our judges of "Chopped
Next Gen," award winning
chef and restaurateur, Mei Lin.
We're looking for how
these chefs are going
to transform these ingredients.
LIZA KOSHY: Esteemed, celebrated
chef Nyesha Arrington.
Take us into the
next generation, chefs.
LIZA KOSHY: And cuisine
pioneer Esdras Ochoa.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Future
looks bright today.
Yeah.
You haven't tasted yet.
It looks.
It looks.
It looks.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Let's go, chefs.
Dial in those flavors.
LIZA KOSHY: Judges,
please describe to me,
what are we looking for
today from our chefs?
The key is
showing us something
that we haven't seen before.
- Absolutely.
If you want to make your
mark in the culinary industry,
right, this is where
they're going to do that.
Stay true to yourself.
It shows.
You can taste it.
You can feel it.
You know.
At the end of the day,
it's about innovation,
progressive cooking, and who
are you as a "Next Gen" chef.
There we go.
[music playing]
I'm a self-taught chef,
didn't go to culinary school.
I grew up in the
millennial era where...
you know... YouTube University
told me everything that I
needed to know about cooking.
So that's a big old loaf
of honey toast right there.
There are different
fruits, whipped cream.
But for an appetizer, though,
that's going to be a challenge.
Especially against
sea cucumber.
How are we going
to make these work?
I've never worked with
sea cucumber before.
LIZA KOSHY: Describe to me the
taste of sea cucumber, Nyesha.
Sea cucumber, it was a
very mild, briny flavor.
LIZA KOSHY: Right, you know,
it looks like something I
would flush down to the sea.
[laughter]
I'm slicing it very, very
thin so that I can tenderize it.
My dish is grilled sea cucumber
with pea sh**t peri peri.
Just a little bit of
lemon and lime juice
is going to be a base for
a peri peri vinaigrette.
Peri peri, a South
African applesauce, a lot
of citrus juice and spice.
I decided not to use the spice.
I really want the
progression of the menu.
And I'm bringing
spice the next round.
I know I have really intense
flavors in front of me.
Growing up watching
"Chopped," I never even
thought I was
going to be a chef,
let alone competing
in the kitchen.
It's crazy.
I'm making a
sauteed sea cucumber
with rendered bacon, corn
liqueur syrup, raw pea shoots,
and Mediterranean olives.
[music playing]
I grabbed the Calabrian chilies
for the corn liqueur syrup.
Some [inaudible] just to kind
of balance out the sweetness.
I won the Jean Banchet
Rising Chef of the Year.
And then I got nominated
for a James Beard.
It's amazing to start building
success and getting awards
but realize that the
stakes just get even
higher, and higher, and higher.
So to win "Chopped
Next Generation,"
I would feel really
accomplished and really honored.
[music playing]
I'm thinking like, about
something that can elevate
the taste of the sea cucumber.
Going to season it with just
some ground cumin, some lemon,
some lime.
Going to grill just slowly, like
grilling an octopus, you know.
I'm making a grilled
sea cucumber, marinated
with a sweet fruit marinade, and
a pea sh**t aioli and almonds.
Oh wow.
He's gone to the grill.
That's going to impart a
lot of flavor into this dish.
- Absolutely.
- Right.
Very smart.
LIZA KOSHY: Speaking of flavor.
Corn liqueur, what
does that taste like?
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Definitely
some raw alcohol flavor.
So I would sort of cook
some of that alcohol off,
but there's a light
undertone of corn flavor.
All right, chefs,
you've got 50 minutes
for your appetizer round.
I grew up in Texas,
and so I love Tex-Mex.
And I want to make a tostada.
So I grab the corn tortillas.
It's not necessarily going
to be a Mexican flavor.
I just want to
kind of accentuate
the corn from the corn liqueur.
[music playing]
Sea cucumber.
I understand it has
the flavor of octopus.
It would be extremely hard to
cook octopus in 20 minutes.
And so I'm going to present the
sea cucumber in its raw form.
There's kind of a shift of power
between the old generation from
the new generation of chefs.
And winning this
competition would
mean that I am on the forefront
of that change of power.
Chefs, we got 10 minutes left.
Come on!
LIZA KOSHY: Let's go!
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Woo!
MEI LIN: Let's go, chefs!
[applause]
It's so intense.
I love it.
This competition is
one of the toughest
challenges I think I've had.
I'm going to have to bring it.
The corn liqueur tasted way
sweeter than I expected.
Oh, yeah.
I'm going to take most of the
stuff from the honey toast
and just combine it
into the corn liqueur
to make a syrup reduction.
[music playing]
A pea sh**t is delicious.
They're also referred
to as pea tendrils.
They're essentially
the offshoots
of the pea fruiting itself.
I would actually
make an oil out of it.
I would make like, a
really intense green oil.
To use the pea
sh**t, I decide to make
an aioli with some mayonnaise,
lemon juice, lime juice.
And it's good.
Chefs, five minutes left.
Let's go.
Let's go.
When I opened up
the honey toast,
I emptied out the ice
cream to taste the bread.
And so I pureed the bread
with anchovy and miso
to put on top of the tostada.
A lot of my components
are going to read sweet,
so I marinate the sea
cucumber with cilantro,
lemon, and jalapeno.
Chefs, start plating.
You got this, chefs.
Come on!
LIZA KOSHY: Come on, chefs!
[applause]
ESDRAS OCHOA: So intense.
I love it.
MEI LIN: So intense.
LIZA KOSHY: Yeah.
The pressure is so heavy.
Why did those puff up?
[bleep]
ESDRAS OCHOA: Chef Kane, he
looks a little disappointed
with this puffed up tortilla.
I know that it's not working,
definitely getting frustrated.
When you have a puffy
tortilla, it's not a tostada.
It is something
totally different.
Yup, yup.
Chef Kane looks stressed.
[grunts]
LIZA KOSHY: Chefs,
you have four minutes
on the clock, four minutes.
Four minutes.
I need to start
thinking of plating.
The corn tortilla,
just started to puff
up inside the fryer, not good.
I know that I need to
just start plating.
LIZA KOSHY: Let's go, chefs.
Come on!
You got this.
You got this.
Everything matters.
MEI LIN: You got it.
LIZA KOSHY: Chefs, you
have three minutes.
Three minutes, chefs.
You got to get some food
on those plates, guys.
I'm going to do
like, a marinade
to put around the sea cucumber.
It's going to be a little sweet.
I don't know.
It's basically fruit that I
plated from the honey toast,
blended with heavy
cream, and it will bring
some pep to the sea cucumber.
NYESHA ARRINGTON:
Bring this home, guys.
LIZA KOSHY: You've
got one minute!
The final 60 seconds
on the clock.
MEI LIN: Let's go.
Big push.
Big push.
Let's go!
ESDRAS OCHOA: Last few
seconds, guys, come on chefs.
Countdown is a coming.
[music playing]
Here we go, final seconds.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Chefs, hands up.
[applause]
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Wow.
Wow.
Well done.
Wow.
KANE SORRELLS: The
details, they'll get you.
The smallest things, like
the tortillas puffing up.
But hopefully the
judges like it.
[music playing]
LIZA KOSHY: All right, chefs.
Welcome to the chopping block.
You were given honey
toast, sea cucumber,
pea shoots, and corn liqueur.
Chef Alisha, walk us
through what's on your dish.
I did sauteed sea cucumber
with rendered pork and shallot
on Mediterranean olives,
as well, to balance it out.
[music playing]
I love the rustic
look to the dish.
It speaks to me very, very
much because that's my style.
I would have done a little
bit more with the pea shoots
instead of just
using it as a bed.
You know, at a level
like this, you know,
you're expecting almost
every little attention
to every little detail.
Chef Alisha, I feel like
I'm eating this almost like,
classic spinach salad, that
play on a hot bacon dressing.
The olives almost seem like
an afterthought, maybe sort
of transform that olive,
maybe plop them and saute
them in with your bacon.
I love that you used the
fruit from the brick toast
into your dressing.
I thought that was really smart.
Thank you, Chef Alisha.
Thank you, chefs.
LIZA KOSHY: All right.
Chef Martel.
So in front of you I have
a grilled sea cucumber,
and a pea tendril peri peri.
And how would you describe
being a next generation chef?
Being a chef of
color, a lot of times
we just want to step out and
have just an opportunity.
I just want to continue
doing the work, opening doors
for people coming behind
me, similar to what
Chef Nyesha's done.
Thank you for your
dish, Chef Martel.
Overall, really beautiful, very
bright, so innovative to use
pea tendrils as your
base for peri peri,
that's next level cooking.
But when you say peri peri
to me, do you think chili?
I decided to leave out the
chilies that would normally
be in a peri peri because
I kind of want to have
a progression in the menu.
Calling something a peri
peri when there's no spice,
it doesn't sit well.
Yeah.
But visually
stunning, the dressing,
the sauce was delicious.
It's a beautiful dish.
It has a lot of sex appeal.
Yeah, yeah.
My favorite part, I got
to say, is the fragrance.
It just puts me
right... right into it.
I enjoyed the contrast with
the sweet and savory, big props
on that, taming on the
sweetness from the liqueur
and from the sweet toast.
Thank you.
LIZA KOSHY: Awesome.
Thank you, Chef Martel.
Thank you.
Chef Romain.
So this is a
grilled sea cucumber
with a sweet fruit marinade.
And on the bottom,
pea sh**t aioli.
[chuckles] Bon apetit.
MEI LIN: Chef Romain, can
you tell me a little bit
about your background?
I'm from France,
as you can tell.
I'm far from my
family and my friends,
so you sacrifice to be here.
But it's... it's a huge goal for
me to learn as much as I can,
and see what I can do with this.
Romain, merci beaucoup.
Amazing dish, very vibrant.
The pea sh**t aioli, superb.
Merci.
Beautiful.
Culinary innovation, I
definitely see it here.
Thank you.
So for me, and you got
to bottle this aioli.
It's really, really good.
It's refreshing.
I can see it on sandwiches,
on tacos, on anything, man.
The aioli was spectacular.
- Thank you.
Thank you, chef.
When I saw the large
cut of your sea cucumber,
I was actually a little afraid
because it was a pretty hard
item to cook in 20 minutes.
But the piece that I
got was pretty tender.
Thanks.
I really love that you
used the fruit to marinade
your sea cucumber with.
Yeah.
I wish that you
toasted the almonds.
Yeah.
When you have a
raw nut, it kind of
leaves like, a certain residue
in your teeth, in your mouth.
But overall, I really...
I really loved your dish.
Thank you.
Chef Kane, please walk
us through your dish.
So what we have
here is a tostada.
The whole idea
behind this dish was
to try to bring each
individual ingredient to life,
and then tie together with
one new kind of vessel.
[crunches]
First, visually, you know,
you eat with your eyes,
and I thought, wow,
just an amazing array
of beautiful freshness.
Thank you, chef.
I really appreciate that.
I love the sizing
of the tostada.
Sure.
You know, the
fact that it puffed
up, lightens up the dish.
Got you.
And the miso, I thought
that was really inventive.
Although it came
across very sweet.
Sure.
I would have loved to see
a little bit more spice.
When I saw that
jalapeno in there,
I thought, yes, this is
going to be exciting.
And you know, the
spiciness fell short.
I enjoyed it.
It reminds me of home.
It's simple.
It's straight to the point.
Thank you so much, chef.
But I did not see much of
innovation on this tostada.
What is innovative
about this tostada?
What causes for me to
be like, Chef Kane,
wow, that blew my mind.
That is definitely
next generation.
I got to see this.
It's on YouTube.
It's going to go viral.
I wanna see risk.
[music playing]
Chefs, your hustle
in the appetizer round
was extraordinary.
But unfortunately,
one of your dishes
is on the chopping block.
I think Romain's definitely
my biggest competition.
They seemed really
happy with Chef Romain
and... and his food
sounded amazing.
So I wanted to eat it.
The nerves are
definitely there.
A lot of the competitors are
doing really, really good food,
but I didn't come here to lose.
The food that I'm putting out
is the food that I believe in.
Only three of you
will be moving forward.
[suspenseful music]
Whose dish is on
the chopping block?
[suspenseful music]
Chef Kane, you
have been chopped.
Judges.
Chef Kane, there were
a few fundamental flaws.
The sweetness from
your miso sauce
took the dish in two directions.
OK.
This competition is about
innovation on the plate,
and unfortunately you
played it a bit safe.
And for these reasons,
you've been chopped.
[music playing]
I agree with everything
the judges said.
It is very difficult to
focus on so many things
within 20 minutes of time.
And so, you know,
it is what it is.
[music playing]
[car alarm beeps]
Thank you.
I mean...
[chuckles] Look at this.
[laughter]
I stop traffic.
I stop traffic in a parking lot.
[laughter]
Chef Alisha, Chef Romaine,
and Chef Martel you made it!
You survived the
appetizer round,
which means you now know how
talented the other chefs are.
So you've got to bring it.
Ready to go.
Now, let's take a look
at your entree crates.
[suspenseful music]
All right, chefs.
Open up your crates.
[music playing]
Oh wow.
LIZA KOSHY: What
you're working with
are vegetable curry cupcakes.
ROMAIN PAUMIER: It
smells like curry.
That's a curry cupcake.
LIZA KOSHY: You also have
a plant-based burger.
ALISHA ELENZ: That adds a spin.
Brisket.
LIZA KOSHY: Brisket.
ALISHA ELENZ: Brisket.
I'm familiar with that.
What is that?
LIZA KOSHY: And oca.
ALISHA ELENZ: These
I have to try.
[music playing]
LIZA KOSHY: You have 30
minutes on the clock.
And that clock starts now.
There they go.
Let's go!
Come one, chefs!
I have too many
things in my head.
I don't know what I'm
going to do with these yet.
LIZA KOSHY: The chefs
have 30 minutes to cook
with all of those ingredients.
MEI LIN: Very
difficult. They have
a very tough cut of meat that
takes a lot of time to process.
ESDRAS OCHOA: It's part
of the cow stomach.
You get pretty much two
parts, one is a little fattier
than the other.
But you got to
braise it for hours.
And so, are they
going to grind it?
I think that would be
the smartest play here.
It's much fat.
It's too much fat.
Moving into this round,
it's really important
that I bring the flavor
and I bring the spice.
Brisket has a lot
of fat content.
So I need to get it
broken down, and get
some of that fat rendered out.
We also have a plant-based
burger with no buns,
because we're sh**ting in LA.
[laughs] So they're
having several elements
to that burger... avocado,
plant-based beet.
The first time I ever
had that, it blew me away.
It tasted just like meat.
Does it?
And it bled, and everything.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Beet protein
is basically the binder.
There's beets,
that's the element
that actually makes it bleed.
I see this veggie burger, and
I get rid of all the components
except for the avocado.
I'm building a pickling
liquid for my avocado.
I'm making a roasted
brisket with onion,
and curry cupcake puree,
and pickled avocados.
OK.
Next, I'm getting my puree
onions, garlic, chowder.
And I get those
into the pizza oven.
Oh, looks like Martel has
a cast iron of vegetables
in the wood fire oven.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Wow.
And he's getting quite a
char on those vegetables.
LIZA KOSHY: Yeah.
OK.
Ooh.
[sizzles]
ROMAIN PAUMIER: I
sear the brisket.
I'm a little worried because
I'm not going to have time to do
the same way that I usually do.
And I'm going to have to
figure something very fast.
[music playing]
We're going to sear it.
I'm going to marinate it
with some of the curry cream
from the cupcake.
The actual cupcake
is pretty mild.
Frosting, however,
very curry forward.
Chefs, you have 20 minutes on
the clock, exactly 20 minutes.
I can't puree with this.
I'm making a traditional
eggplant caviar.
It's roasted eggplant,
scooped out, and blended.
I need to use the
pizza oven, too.
[bleep] Looks like
he's doing it.
Chef Martel has his
stuff in the pizza oven.
I think it's going
to be a problem.
Being able to cook at
such a high temperature
and impart that smoky flavor
is going to be amazing.
I would fight my
way to get in there.
How bad do you want to win?
Oh, there you go.
I bet he wants this $10,000.
Let's go, chefs.
Figure it out.
So I just go and
put my stuff inside.
Yeah, I was going to
use these as breadcrumbs.
Now I'm going to use them
as my bread to combine
when I brine my meat.
Going into this
entree round, I'm
going to show that
I'm here to win,
and I can take critiques and
turn around in the next round
and work harder
than everybody else.
So I tasted the oca.
It's like a starchy,
subtle, apple flavor.
Not good.
Oca is a delicious tuber.
It is very crunchy in texture.
Think of it as a potato.
You can pickle it.
You can boil it.
You can fry it.
I know that if I pickle it,
I can still keep the texture
but also add a little
bit of flavor to it.
What's you plan?
I'm going to make
an avocado tuna aioli.
Chef Alisha you just
whipped out a can of tuna.
Interesting.
I just feel like
it'll balance out
the fattiness from the meat.
[blender]
Can I get a meat grinder?
Oh, she's going
in the grinder.
Winning the $10,000
would be super cool.
I come from Chicago, and we
have a huge homeless problem.
And it would mean a lot to be
able to bring that money home
and feed people, because
that's literally what we do,
is feed people.
Let's see how that works.
[blending]
All right, chefs, I'm going
out onto the dance floor.
- OK.
- Yeah.
Have fun.
Have fun.
Chef Alisha.
Coming in hot.
She's grinding right now.
I know a thing or
two about grinding.
Tie me in, Chef.
I was going to try to
do a deconstructed burger.
All right.
All right.
How about that tuna?
The tuna, I am
making aioli out of it.
Making it... oh, aioli?
Eh, ole!
That's what we're doing
with that tuna right there.
Chef Martel, how we doing?
I'm doing.
Yeah, you're doing.
So I'm building the
base for my onion puree.
I'm going to use a little
bit of the vegetable
curry cupcake as a base.
OK.
OK.
Have you ever had a vegetable
curry cupcake before?
I haven't.
Only on "Chopped."
"Next Gen."
There we go.
Chef Romain, what are
we doing over here?
Right now what's
going on is the brisket
is cooking in the oven.
I mean, I need to
sear it more normally,
but the flame was not very hot.
OK.
So I had to do that.
I'm grilling my
eggplant in the...
Go get it, man.
Go get it!
These chefs are moving fast.
Look, I'm a chef.
I'm running too.
[laughter]
These chefs are moving fast.
I see the smoke coming up.
You see that?
I'm in 5-inch heels.
My god.
Chefs, you have
10 minutes left.
[cheering]
I'm taking the bread
from the cupcake,
that veggie burger too, and I'm
mixing them with the brisket.
Making another burger out of it.
But I realize I don't have
enough time to make burgers.
So I'm going to make meatballs.
Chef Alisha, I saw you
making a burger earlier.
Is this your plan B?
Yeah.
This is like, my
plan D right now.
Plan E, what you making?
What's plan E about?
I'm making meatballs.
My initial idea was
to single fry the oca.
I didn't get the
crunch that I wanted.
I grab flour and bread
the oca a little bit,
and I give it a second fry.
Come on, Chef Martel.
Come on, Chef Romain.
Behind.
Come on, guys.
Com on, chefs.
Go!
All right.
I need to take care
of this eggplant.
I'm adding additional mustard
to this grilled eggplant
to make a "Chopped" puree.
Chefs, start plating.
Five minutes left.
Let's go!
Let's go!
As if the mystery crate
is not stressful enough,
we're battling
with the elements,
and it's super windy and I
cannot get my flames to light.
I don't think I'm
getting any heat.
And so now I'm working
with zero burners.
[suspenseful music]
Guys, Chef Alisha
has switched stations.
Her over went out midway.
Oh, wow.
Wow.
Oven going out?
I want to throw an apron on.
[laughs] Get in there and help.
I don't even have time to
ask how much time I have left.
But I know that the
time is just going.
Chefs, you have
three minutes left.
Three minutes.
Come on, chefs.
Oh my...
[interposing voices]
You got to start plating.
ESDRAS OCHOA: You got it.
You got it.
You got it.
MEI LIN: Come on, Chef Alisha.
Need to watch
something, [inaudible]
crispy side of the dish.
I know I'm going to
take the tortilla.
It's almost too late to
start adding more ingredients.
My main concern right
now is I really don't want
to serve the judges raw meat.
It's not looking
good over there.
I don't think Chef
Alisha is going to make it.
Oh no.
LIZA KOSHY: Here we go.
Final seconds.
ESDRAS OCHOA: You
got to plate, Alisha.
LIZA KOSHY: 10, 9, 8, 7...
Don't worry about it.
Just got to plate.
LIZA KOSHY: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Chefs, hands up!
That sucked.
I think the flavors will be
OK, but not my best dish.
That's for sure.
Not as confident as
I was at the beginning
of the first round.
But I know my flavors
are really, really solid.
And I'm hungry
and I want to win.
[suspenseful music]
Chefs, your entree
round included
plant-based burger,
brisket, oca,
and vegetable curry cupcakes.
Chef Martel.
What I have in front of you
is a roasted brisket with onion
and curry cupcake puree, twice
fried oca, and pickled avocado.
How bad do you
want this, chef?
Really bad.
I've been pacing for
a week and a half.
So...
You've been pacing
for a week and a half?
Get your steps in.
I'm trying.
Chef Nyesha, let's
start with you.
Absolutely.
First, I want to say,
how innovative it is
to think to pickle an avocado.
I've not seen that in all
of my 18 years of cooking.
I've never seen a
pickled avocado.
I commend you for you
making a roasted brisket
because that is really risky.
Brisket can get really dry.
The fattier pieces that I
have are nice and moist,
but the more leaner end
is a little bit more dry.
Yeah, I realize the
brisket would have been kind
of dry either way the
way I was cooking it,
so I was just trying to
add as many moist elements
on the plate as possible.
No, kudos.
Like, I love all those flavors.
I actually love the
twice cooked oca.
I thought that was really smart.
If I was to eat that piece
of meat with my eyes closed,
you would think almost it
was like a like a strip
loin, New York steak.
It was super tender,
surprisingly, being brisket.
But I got to say, the oca,
that's zero salt at all.
Don't be scared of salt,
season it properly.
Thank you, Chef Martel.
Thank you.
Chef Romaine.
What will our judges be eating?
So you guys are going to
have a Provencal sweet curry
brisket, child eggplant caviar,
and a little of pickles of oca,
and some corn tortilla
just dusted with salt
and curry powder.
You know, when I saw that
eggplant go in the pizza oven,
I said, eggplant caviar, please.
It's one of my most
favorite, beloved dishes.
So thank you for that.
How inventive it is
to put Dijon mustard.
I've never thought about that.
It gives such a pop of
flavor and brightness.
Yeah.
I like the fact that you
had different components.
I'm dipping.
I'm scooping.
I'm slicing.
And then I got my chip.
It's really, really good.
And it played really,
really well with the steak.
Thanks, Chef.
But I wish you would have
cooked it slightly less,
the steak.
It's a little bit overcooked.
Um, looking at the
dish, it's very brown.
Did you want to add
more colors to the dish?
I wanted to add more
texture and more garnish.
That's why at the end I came
up with the crispy tortilla.
I definitely felt that was a
smart move in terms of texture.
All these flavors all
in all work together.
Yup.
OK.
Thank you, Chef.
Chef Alisha.
Please walk us through
what's on our judges plates.
So for today I made
you guys vegetable
and brisket meatballs
with a tuna aioli,
avocado mash, and pickled oca.
LIZA KOSHY: Sounds amazing.
Thank you, chef.
Very sweet aroma to it.
It's enticing.
I like it.
LIZA KOSHY: Chef Alisha,
you had us out of our seats.
You used every single
second out there.
You said it was plan
E that you were on.
Plan Z. I had so many plans.
Even up until the last
second my mind kept changing.
LIZA KOSHY: Yeah, you turned
curveballs into meatballs.
[laughs] I did.
LIZA KOSHY: Yea.
ALISHA ELENZ: It's
like, I don't know
if the meatballs are
going to be cooked,
but I felt confident
about the flavors.
The meatball is cooked,
cooked thoroughly, you know.
It's tender.
I commend you.
Like, you got it done.
Honestly, I
thought you lost it.
I thought you had given up.
And you proved me wrong.
The flavors are very, very nice.
The only thing I would critique
on is the avocado mash.
Just give it a little
splash of lime or lemon,
and I think other than
that it's a good dish.
I enjoyed it.
It's fun.
Thank you, Chef.
When it landed I
thought, wow, I mean,
we all eat with our eyes first.
The vibrancy, and the colors,
the orange, and the yellows,
and the pink.
It jumped off the plate.
I love your use of the
plant-based burger.
I thought that was very
intelligent to really
transform, right, this brisket.
Thank you, Chef.
You know, I love the play
on the two different sauces,
but everything just
kind of ate soft.
I wanted a little
bit more texture,
and I was hoping to
get that from your sear
from the meatball.
Chef Alisha, what would
it mean to you to be
"Chopped Next Gen" champion?
Of course, everybody
wants to win.
I'm also from Chicago.
So you know, we're very
competitive people.
OK.
But also, I got nominated
for a James Beard.
Yeah.
And getting nominated
for it instantly
puts this pressure that
you feel like you have
to live up to all the time.
Yeah.
You know, diamonds are
made under pressure.
Romain, what does it mean
to be a next generation chef?
It means a lot to
me because I work
for Chef Daniel
Boulud, one of the best
chefs in the culinary industry.
And I'm very proud
to work for him.
So I want to prove
most chefs can
be so open minded about
food and about the world,
and put everything together on
a plate and make like a travel,
like a voyage.
Chef Martel, can
you tell me how long
exactly have you been cooking?
Six years.
LIZA KOSHY: Wow.
All the chefs have
a lot of acclaim,
James Beard award winners,
people work for Daniel Boulud.
I'm a self-taught chef.
I didn't go to culinary
school, but my drive
comes from wanting to be
better as a chef every day.
[suspenseful music]
Chefs, now we say
goodbye to one of you.
I'm getting a little nervous.
My heart is beating
through my throat.
I'm just scared what's
going to happen next.
[suspenseful music]
Whose dish is on
the chopping block?
[suspenseful music]
Chef Romain, you
have been chopped.
Judges.
Chef Romain, this
was really tough.
And it was really close.
But your brisket
was overcooked, and
your use of the
mystery ingredients
was not very transformative.
And so for that reason,
you have been chopped.
Thank you.
I'm a little bit, you
know, disappointed.
I understand why the
judges decide to chop me,
because the meat was overcooked.
I had many ideas about
cooking my dessert right now.
But that's the game, you know.
Chef Alisha, the
competition was very close.
Had you have not
been so innovative,
you would have been
on the chopping block.
I'm shocked, by the way.
I'm really surprised by that.
Thank you, chefs.
Chefs, you both
came here to win.
Yeah.
It's either of you
bringing home that 10K.
So bring that flavor,
bring that innovation,
and take us into
the next generation.
OK.
Let's see what you got.
Yes, chef.
Yes, chef.
[music playing]
Chef Alisha, Chef Martel.
One step closer to $10,000.
Bring that fire.
Bring that fearlessness.
Bring all the flavor
and represent yourself.
Let's see what's in
those crates, then.
[suspenseful music]
Open them up.
Chefs, you've got deep fried
Sriracha, dried blueberries...
There it is.
Fennel.
Oh, fennel.
And just in case you thought
the hard part of the day
was over...
ALISHA: I'm going to
guess that's coffee.
Mushroom water.
Mushroom water?
I'm sorry, what?
What kind of mushroom?
That's the question.
[laughter]
Final round, chefs.
The dessert round.
30 minutes on the clock.
And that clock starts now.
Come on, chefs!
[cheering]
- Come on.
ESDRAS OCHOA: You
got this, chefs.
Come on!
Come on, chefs!
I can't believe I'm in the
final round of "Chopped."
I have to bring it in
this dessert round.
My brain's turning.
I'm making a vanilla panna cotta
with rehydrated blueberries
and cherries, deep-fried
sriracha crumb, fennel
fries, and Marcona almonds.
I'm definitely going to
use gelatin and cornstarch.
I'm hoping it'll set in time.
[inaudible], Chef?
Oh, yes, take it.
Thanks.
One thing that impresses
me very much of Martel
is that he always
maintained his composure.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Absolutely.
Alisha said she has a
lot of pressure on her
and being a James Beard nom.
But she said, you
know, I'm from Chicago.
I'm very competitive.
And I see that in her.
She's got the chops.
It's good.
Chef Alisha is a competitor.
She's a James Beard
nominated chef.
So I knew no matter
the pressure,
she would find a
way to overcome.
So I just need to execute
so that I can take
the "Chopped" championship.
Fried Sriracha.
What?
What is that?
It's just a spicy fritter.
It definitely has that little
spice in the back of my throat.
It's crunchy, so it'll
add a textural component
to their dish.
I always love
cast iron cookies.
This is my opportunity
to do my version using
a little bit of fried Sriracha.
My dish for this
final round is spiced
cookie with
caramelized fennel foam
and rehydrated blueberries.
So I'll put the fennel
in the pizza oven
just so I can roast and
start to caramelize.
I have no idea how
I would incorporate
fennel into a dessert,
which is why I'm not chef.
Thank you, chefs.
You can use those
fennel fronds,
or you can use the
bulb on the fennel,
which has more anise flavors,
or flavors like black licorice.
OK.
Does it pair nicely
with mushroom water?
Mushroom water.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Oh, here we go.
Here we go.
Like a shot.
MEI LIN: I love this.
- Wow.
Very surprisingly good.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: There's
turmeric, there's cinnamon.
It actually reads a little
cinnamon forward on my palate.
So you actually don't get
much mushroom flavor from it.
So I decided to take
the mushroom water
and add it with the blueberries.
I'm trying to figure out
a way to impart flavor
and I thought earthy
notes inside of a dessert.
I grab pink peppercorns,
cinnamon, and coriander, which
will bring up the aroma
and the spicy notes
inside of this cookie.
MEI LIN: A pizzookie?
Yo, what's up?
A pizza cookie?
Pizza cookie.
It's a cookie.
It's a cookie.
It is interesting that
he's making a large one.
I'd think to make the...
make three small ones.
Yeah, individual...
...quicker time to cook.
Right.
That is one big skillet.
MEI LIN: Chef Alisha, she's
made a pretty good custard.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Wow.
Chefs, we got 10 minutes left.
Come on!
Let's go!
Let's go, chefs!
[cheering]
Come on, chefs.
MEI LIN: Chef Martel is
bringing out his pizzookie.
Oh wow.
That just came out of the pan.
What?
I'm adding my grapefruit.
And that acidity will play
well along with the fennel...
citrus, fennel.
It's alive.
I'm also using the [inaudible],,
which will take a very, very
heavy, fatty cream,
and turn it into this
light caramelized fennel foam.
Chefs, you have
less than two minutes.
Look at Alisha tasting
all those flavors together.
That's the stuff right there.
She's tasting, but she's
actually fighting for her life
right now.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Wow.
If... if Chef
Romain hadn't messed
up on his brisket, it'd be her.
Less than 30.
So I decided to use the deep
fried Sriracha as a crumble
because I feel like, it will
go perfectly with the flavors
that I have in the
vanilla pudding.
Countdown's a
coming, and it's in 10,
9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
Hands up!
ESDRAS OCHOA: Yeah, all right.
LIZA KOSHY: Just in time, yes!
ESDRAS OCHOA: Well done.
- Wow.
[sigh]
[music playing]
I think this is definitely
my redemption round,
so I feel really good about it.
I feel like I showed a lot
of innovation and restraint.
I think I highlighted
the spice in there.
It's a $10,000 dish.
I'm good with it.
[suspenseful music]
CREW: Resetting.
Judging and tasting,
round three.
Rolling.
Chef Alisha and Chef Martel.
In the third round,
you made desserts
with deep fried Sriracha,
dried blueberries,
fennel, and mushroom water.
Chef Martel, can you please
walk us through your dish?
I have for you
a Sriracha cookie
with a caramelized fennel
foam, a little bit of plump
blueberries, and grapefruit.
And Chef Martel, when did you
fall in love with the kitchen?
Ooh.
I was... I was dating a
woman a couple of years ago.
And she was a chef.
She made me a French
omelet, and that
was the first time I
got a chance to really,
really taste any type
of real cooking skills.
It changed everything
so much so that I...
I left the military
and decided to step
out and see what I could do.
It's a love story that
continued on for yourself.
Oh, no, we're done.
But you're not.
You're here...
Yeah.
...on "Chopped Next Gen."
Eh, oh!
Judges, how do we feel
about this dish today?
[sigh] First off,
big, big problem.
It's too beautiful to eat, man.
I don't want to eat it, man.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
ESDRAS OCHOA: That is
a good problem to have.
You know how to
compose a dish.
The grapefruit, the
basil, the fennel,
like, all of those
things work together.
And fried Sriracha
in the cookie,
I thought it was ingenious.
But the amount of cookie
that you put in your dish
unfortunately sucked
up all of that salt.
Sure.
It's interesting
that you chose
to rehydrate your blueberries
with that mushroom water.
It's interesting.
There's still a bit of
toothsomeness to them.
Yup.
So I thought the
flavors all made sense.
I thought this
dessert was strong.
Thanks.
Chef Alisha, please.
I made you guys
vanilla pudding
with rehydrated
blueberries and cherries,
deep fried Sriracha
crumb, fennel
fronds, and Marcona almonds.
The texture's
definitely there.
You get the balance
is a sweet, salty.
The blueberries were cooked
down perfectly as well.
I think the weakness
was the presentation.
Of course.
The presentation is
so important nowadays.
But if I was to eat this
blindfolded, I'm a fan.
Delicious.
Thank you.
You know, I love the
crunch from the Marconas.
And I love a crumb as well.
The crumb, nice and crunchy.
The dried blueberry for me...
it was... it was a pop of sour.
It kind of derailed
my... my palate a bit.
Sorry about that.
No, no, please, don't be.
Overall, really amazing.
You should be proud.
- Thank you, Chef.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Yeah.
LIZA KOSHY: Chefs,
you've both given
the judges a lot to consider.
Now, let's give
them a few minutes.
Thank you, chefs.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Good luck, Chefs.
[suspenseful music]
Clearly we have two
very talented chefs.
Chef Martel, I mean,
what a cerebral chef.
You can see his brain
working in overdrive
when he's creating his dishes.
It's a joy to watch him cook.
Alisha came into
this competition
and crashed through
those hurdles.
She was not afraid.
What did we see from Chef
Alisha in the appetizer around?
ESDRAS OCHOA: The
flavors were delicious.
And she knew what she was
going for, and she stuck to it.
LIZA KOSHY: Yeah.
ESDRAS OCHOA: But the
way she used the pea
shoots, right, very basic.
No wow factor there.
Chef Martel's
appetizer, I thought, wow.
This is definitely
a fine dining chef.
NYESHA ARRINGTON: Absolutely.
ESDRAS OCHOA: The
thing I wish he
would have had... a little bit
of heat on that peri peri.
MEI LIN: Chef
Alisha's entree dish.
She was smart enough to know
that brisket is a tough cut
of meat and grabbed a grinder.
That's really what we're
looking for... smart chefs
for the next generation.
However, there was no texture,
and I was hoping to get
that sear from the meatball.
And the dish, very soft.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Chef
Martel, on the main course
I was blown away by the
way he cooked the brisket.
MEI LIN: Totally.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Only
downfall of that dish,
he didn't use the oca properly.
And that's the biggest
mistake you see sometimes.
People... they're scared of salt,
small details are so meaningful
and they're so important.
All right.
Do we know which dish is
on our chopping block?
Yes.
Yes.
LIZA KOSHY: OK.
[suspenseful music]
I know that I had to come into
this round and really k*ll it.
I mean, I worked my
butt off, but Martel
is really fierce competition.
So this is going to be tough.
So, whose dish is
on the chopping block?
From the beginning, Chef
Alisha's been amazing.
But I think I deserve to win.
[suspenseful music]
LIZA KOSHY: Chef Alisha,
you have been chopped.
ESDRAS OCHOA: Alisha,
on the main course,
was very soft as a
whole and one note.
As far as your dessert goes,
you could have done so much
more with that presentation.
And for this reason
you have been chopped.
But I give you a promise
before you leave tonight
that if you continue
what you're doing,
and you channel in
that power within you,
you can achieve
greatness in life.
Thank you, chefs.
It was an honor.
Congratulations.
I'm proud of you.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chef Alisha.
I just got chopped.
You know, it's
never fun to lose,
but to be honest with you, I
just feel like he earned it.
He did a great job.
And that means,
Chef Martel Stone,
you are our "Chopped
Next Gen" champion.
And you're walking
away with 10 grand.
[applause and cheering]
Great job, Chef.
Congratulations!
Now the world sees
that not only can I cook,
but I can also like, push.
The future is
infinite for you.
[music playing]
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01x01 - The Winning Wunderkind
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Rising young chefs compete in the ultimate culinary arena for the $10,000 grand prize.
Rising young chefs compete in the ultimate culinary arena for the $10,000 grand prize.