Top Chef: 16 go deep in Chicago
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen the premiere episode, some surprises will be ruined if you read more than the first few sentences of this post …
Chicago, otherwise known as the Windy City, is the culinary centerpiece of the Midwest. The city is known for many styles of cuisine — the most casual being the deep-dish pizza. So what better way to start off Top Chef Chicago than with a Quickfire challenge where the 16 contestants make that signature dish?
For these chefs, who came from around the world to compete for this season’s title, making a pizza would seem easy, right? Well, as with many Top Chef challenges, it proved a bit more, well, challenging than even these experienced chefs expected.
Each took their own spin, and many of the pizzas fell apart. Some had issues with the crust overgrowing the pan. Others had crust sticking to the pan. In the end, it was 26-year-old Nimma who came up short in the Quickfire challenge.
For the Elimination Challenge, contestants were put up against one another to make classic dishes, including things like lasagna and Eggs Benedict. There were some amazing-looking dishes in the end — it makes you want to reach into the TV and taste what they’re making — but the judges ultimately came to the decision Nimma would need to pack her knives.
“Unfortunately, no one will know I’m a very good cook,” Nimma said before leaving the show. “… I’m not going to stop cooking. This is what I love to do. I know I have a God-given talent …”
Even though Nimma already is gone, you can get to know her by watching her introduction video from bravotv.com:
The first challenge winner was … well, I’ll keep at least one surprise in case you didn’t have a chance to see the premiere you recorded on your DVR.
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