Top Chef: Seattle Recap

By David Mumpower

November 13, 2012

We hope Wolfgang goes to the Puckmobile!

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Like his counterparts, Puck indicates that he has the freedom to ship all six participants to Seattle. Thus far, Pellegrino is the only one given any attention. So I like her chances. The other three women and two men do not appear intimidated by their surroundings, putting them ahead of their peers in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in this regard.

Wolfgang Puck, whose 20-piece cooking set would make a wonderful Christmas gift from any of my loved ones reading this, recounts his omelet story once again. I see him on television about once a year yet I know the details well enough to tell it as my own. Puck’s first tutor asked him to make an omelet. It didn’t go well. Ever since then, Puck has judged himself as well as all of his potential protégés by the quality of their omelets.

Tyler Wiard of Elway’s Restaurant Group (as in John Elway) is next to speak. He excitedly states, “I’m an omelet away from Seattle. Holy shit! I just say to myself. Don’t let this omelet intimidate you.” Daniel O’Brien of Seasonal Pantry is next to speak. Basically, he brags about himself and how many cooking awards he has won. While a strange comment to make in the Wolfgang Puck heat, I have never been a fan of shameless self-promotion. I am now rooting against Daniel.

The marvelously named Kuniko Yagi of Comme Ça is the first one to speak. She recounts the manner through which a Japanese banker became an American chef. She firmly states that she is hoping to earn the respect of her parents through her Top Chef performance. Daniel interrupts her to inject some vaguely racist comment about origami. The intent is to undermine her confidence. The actual impact is that she blows him off, something I presume to be Daniel’s ordinary outcome with women.




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My favorite moment of the show is a silly one. Wolfgang has been snacking on ingredients as he interacts with the potentials. For whatever reason, he point blank tells Eliza, owner of 221 South Oak Bistro in Telluride, that he wants some steak. In a goofy yet impossibly winning voice, she replies, “If Wolfgang wants steak, Eliza’s gonna cook him steak.” Eliza instantly becomes my favorite contestant this season.

As Eliza continues to enjoy her moment in the spotlight, Carla creates quite the ruckus beside her. At this point, Carla is revealed to be a drama queen. She chatters non-stop during the challenge, she distracts her fellow competitors and she complains about the functionality of the stove she intends to use. Tesar and Carla appear destined for a melodramatic showdown in the coming weeks.

“The stove is like a woman. It never does what it’s supposed to do.” – Wolfgang Puck, a man who makes misogyny fun.

Almost none of the omelets go well. Carla burns hers. Eliza ruins hers to the point that she has to recycle her mise en place in order to embark upon a second attempt. Tyler overcooks the omelet so much that he puts a salad on top in order to hide the improper discoloration. And Daniel uses waaaay too much fat. He winds up serving an omelet with “a residue of grease on it”. All joking aside, I expect this mistake to eliminate Daniel.


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