by Courtney Dabney
It was the ultimate food fight at Texas Appliance showroom on June 27 as our six Top Chef contestants faced off in a heated preliminary round of the 2013 Top Chef Challenge.
By the end of the evening, two of the contestants were eliminated after pushing themselves to the limit in this crucial qualifying heat. While Chefs Jerrett Joslin and Charles Youts impressed judges with elegant dishes, like Head Judge Tim Love said, "This isn't the YMCA, and everyone doesn't get to take home a participation trophy."
Participating chefs were selected by Fort Worth, Texas magazine readers and the Top Chef Panel to compete against one another in the qualifying round. Scott Murray hosted the challenge and kept the crowd posted on the chefs" actions throughout the competition.
Meet the Chefs
Anthony Felli has been Executive Chef at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse for more than five years. He puts his 20 years of cooking experience to good use. As you can imagine, he is an expert at preparing the perfect steak, but he also enjoys getting the chance to be even more creative. Del Frisco's hosts a Wine Maker's Dinner every 3-4 months, and he relishes the chance to sit down with his Sous Chef's, Wine Directors, and Sommelier's to pair wines with each course of the meal.
Charles Youts hails from the Classic Café in Roanoke. His menu is usually inspired by the Chef's Pantry Garden, which is planted just behind the restaurant. He loves to incorporate whatever is fresh and seasonal into his flavorful dishes. He serves as a chef mentor in the Byron Nelson High School Culinary Program, whose students were champions this year in the State Pro Start Competition. They placed sixth at Nationals.
While serving as Chef de Cuisine at Lonesome Dove, Eric Hunter had the privilege of competing in Iron Chef America alongside Tim Love. As the owner of Fire Oak Grill in Weatherford, Hunter has garnered numerous accolades from local publications, including being named Parker County Today's Chef of the Year. He also took part in Twenty at the Tower this past July in anticipation of next spring's Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Todd Phillips also has more than 23 years of hands-on experience coming into this competition. He has served as the executive chef at J.R.'s Steakhouse for the past eight years. He is inspired by good-quality, fresh ingredients that are cooked simply. He sums up his format as New Southern and loves to present classic dishes like grits, greens, and local produce and meats.
Jerrett Joslin was voted one of the Best Chefs in Fort Worth, Texas magazine's Best Of issue this year. Joslin was also one of the Top 5000 Chef personalities by Best Chef America and named New Chef on the Rise by Savoy magazine. He has been the chef and partner at The Wild Mushroom for the past four years, serving up eclectic American cuisine. His inquisitive style explores many cultures and runs the gamut from molecular gastronomy to more classic preparations.
Kyle Jones has served as executive chef of Truluck's for the past three years. Under his steady hand, the restaurant was named Best Seafood Restaurant by the readers of Fort Worth, Texas magazine in 2012. Being from the South has molded him into the chef he is today. He describes his cooking style as Southern Comfort Food, and he is most inspired by where he lives and the season.
Master Palates
Our hungry judges panel was headed up by Tim Love, who is chef proprietor of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, the Love Shack, Woodshed Smokehouse, and his newest offering Queenie's Steakhouse in Denton. He is a Food Network's Iron Chef winner, as well as the Bravo Channel's Top Chef Masters contestant and has served as a Top Chef judge.
Tammy Dombeck, the popular traffic reporter who left KXAS/Channel 5 last year, can now be seen on KTVT/Channel 11. The newlywed was still glowing from her December 2012 nuptials. Dombeck brought with her a discerning palate and plenty of opinions about the food presentations from the chefs.
Radio personality Mark "Hawkeye" Lewis of 96.3 KSCS was among the judges and kept guests entertained. Along with Terry Dorsey, Hawkeye has been waking up loyal country music fans for years. They are now the longest running FM morning show in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Carol Ritchie returned to the judges panel again this year. She has been sharing her cooking tips and recipes on a half-hour cable television cooking show called Cookin" with Carol since 1992. Her recipes are available in five self-published cookbooks, each based on a season of cooking shows.
Tastings and Talents
Chef Love, who seems to enjoy putting the contestants through their paces, had each chef blindfolded for the tastings this year. "The blindfolds are to confuse the palate and make them concentrate on what they are tasting," he said. Each had only 15 seconds to identify four different herbs or spices offered to them. Answers ranged from turmeric and cumin to cilantro and dill.
They received one point for each correct answer. There was no time to waste and no room for error in this critical round, which along with the skills challenge, accounted for 40 percent of their final scores. After the blind tastings, Chef Youts held a commanding lead with four correct answers followed by Chef Jones who identified three correctly.
Then the blindfolds were removed, and the skill challenge was announced. Each chef would have to section a duck into six traditional pieces and crack the backbone to toss into a stockpot. The first to complete the task would be the sole winner and collect all the points. Eric Hunter wielded his knife with speed and precision, presenting two breasts, two wings, two thighs and a split back for Chef Love's approval.
Cooking Up a Storm
Before sequestering the three chefs, Love reminded them all exactly what he would be looking for. "The whole plate should be edible, and it should taste like it looks," he said. The final plating would be judged on presentation, flavor, balance and creativity.
Chefs Jones, Phillips and Youts made their way to their assigned cooking stations and looked over the same pantry of ingredients that each had to work with. Then the secret ingredient of Red Snapper was revealed, and the clock began to count down from the 30-minute mark.
Jones began plating with seven minutes to spare. His dish consisted of a corn, mushroom and red onion relish, and was seasoned with champagne vinegar and thyme. Dombeck noted that the fish was crispy outside and juicy inside, and liked it. Hawkeye thought the ingredients were complementary and didn't overpower the dish. But, Love thought it was bland and needed more salt.
Phillips roasted poblano pepper and corn, which became part of a pico de gallo. His dish included a lovely mushroom risotto that all of the judges liked, and his Red Snapper had noticeable grill marks. Richie was excited by the presentation saying, "It looks spicy." Love thought the inclusion of raw red onion, however, was a little overpowering.
Youts sautéed julienned carrot, zucchini and yellow squash for a colorful complement to his dish. His plating began with a base of polenta, then added his grilled fish filets and an arugula salad on top. Richie liked the stacked presentation and the skin-side-up Snapper. Hawkeye said, "I am a simple guy. This is a simple dish, and I like it." While Love commented that the plate looked dull.
Chefs Hunter, Felli and Joslin competed after the first round of judging and had the same 30 minutes to prove that they deserved a spot in the final four.
Hunter roasted new potatoes and mushrooms. His plate was painted with a fresh fig reduction and sliced peaches on the side. Richie noted, "This dish has the wow factor!" The other judges agreed. Love thought that each of the three components of the plating was well cooked, but he had trouble putting the dish together. Hawkeye loved the addition of hearts of palm, which he thought cut the sweetness of the peaches. Everyone thought the fig reduction was tasty.
Felli began by grilling peaches and figs, which became part of a spicy fig reduction that made his dish stand out to the judges. Hawkeye thought the addition of raw onion rings was redundant. Dombeck said the presentation was a little bland but thought the potatoes were good. And, Richie loved the addition of kale mentioning, "Kale is a really hot ingredient right now."
Joslin also included chopped kale in his dish. His pan-fried fish was punched up with lemon zest, and his plating came down to the wire with not a second to spare. Dombeck and Hawkeye both liked it visually. All of the judges loved the chili marmalade presented alongside. Richie enjoyed the arugula salad and commented, "The addition of sweet and salty elements blended nicely."
But as the final scores were tallied, Chef Youts and Chef Joslin were sent home empty handed. Felli took top honors. Moving ahead to the finals are Felli, Hunter, Phillips and Jones.
The final competition is Aug. 15 at Cendera Center in Fort Worth, where these final four competitors will vie for the title of Top Chef 2013. Make plans to join us at the exciting finale. A limited number of VIP tickets are still available at fwtx.com that allow up-close access to the chefs.
