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George is a bit daunted by the challenge - he notes that it’s very hard to nail innovation on the first try. One typically fails before succeeding in the context of innovation. In contrast, Mei thinks that she has an advantage having worked at Ink under the tutelage of Michael Voltaggio. I think she’s exactly right.

The chefs head to Whole Foods where the only drama is the fact that there’s no pork belly. George really wanted to pair pork belly and octopus. But there’s no pork belly. Even though Whole Foods always has pork belly. He has no idea what he’s going to do in the absence of pork belly. This goes on for a while.

Meanwhile, Greg calmly and deliberately picks out his ingredients. He declares that he’s going to make something straightforward and clean - he doesn’t think it makes sense to take a big risk this late in the competition. I think he sounds insane. The whole point of this challenge is to push your boundaries. Greg’s approach seems to be to cook something that’s within his comfort zone and hope that someone else messes up.

The next morning arrives and everyone except for Melissa is very, very nervous. Mei admits that she didn’t sleep well the night before. The boys confess that they both sweated a lot in their beds. Melissa smiles away.

Once in the kitchen, the chefs are all business. Tom and Wylie wander in at one point and start asking each chef about their dishes and the innovation they’re bringing to the table. Greg is first with a spin on tom kha soup. When asked point blank what’s innovative about his dish, he says “ummmmmmmmmm, well, I’m finding new ways to bring texture to my dish.” Tom and Wylie look on, unimpressed. I can almost hear Wylie’s thoughts: “this kid is intentionally ignoring the point of this challenge.”

As for the other chefs, George is doing some neat stuff with octopus heads and harissa, Melissa is trying out new flavor profiles (integrating miso and walnut into the classic combination of duck and cherries), and Mei is doing a lighter spin on curry (incorporating yogurt).

Before we know it, it’s service. Greg is first and serves a pan roasted salmon with tom kha broth, crispy chicken skin, and crispy salmon skin. Gail has no idea what the intended innovation was, and Greg mumbles something about integrating texture. Padma loves the flavors of the dish, but Tom agrees that while the dish itself is nicely prepared, he’s hard-pressed to find anything innovative about it.

Melissa is next and offers a seared duck breast with farro, walnut miso, and pickled cherries. She says that the flavors incorporated were outside of her comfort zone. Gail adores the combination of walnut and miso as used with the duck, Tom wishes there were a jus but loves the dish, Wylie compliments the duck as perfectly cooked, and Padma raves about the pickled cherries.

George is third with a charred octopus, yellow split pea purée, and a green apple harissa. Wylie calls the dish “nicely done,” but Tom doesn’t like the bitter notes he’s finding in the octopus. Gail blames it on the charring of the octopus. After George walks away, Wylie expresses his disappointment that George hadn’t exercised more editing in his dish, suggesting that elements like lentils and rhubarb really didn’t need to be on the plate.

Finally, there’s Mei with her duck curry with vadouvan and yuzu yogurt. It’s a bizarre sounding dish - a fact reflected on the confused expression on Tom’s face. Tom calls the dish a “tough one” because he’s not sure how to describe it, even though he likes it. “Isn’t that a good thing?” Wyle asks, and Tom agrees that it is. Wylie compliments Mei’s broth and Gail chimes in regarding her use of duck skin. Tom, who’s finally found his voice, says that the dish changes as he’s eating it, finding new flavor points. “It’s very complex,” he ultimately concludes.

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