Top Chef Boston Recap: Finale Part 1
By Jason Lee
February 2, 2015
Gail notes that Doug took the challenge more literally than any of the other chefs, trying to replicate the look of the piece on the plate. Tom says that sometimes something can come along that reminds a chef of where he came from and who the chef is at his core - this is, Tom says, what today’s challenge did for Doug. He used ingredients he knew from growing up, and thus his dish had a great authenticity about it.
Gail liked the elements of art that Mei brought into her food, but wished that she had let go a little bit more in her presentation. Padma agrees, saying that Mei had the skills to push the envelope even more. Enrique, though, compliments her clean and playful flavors.
Padma found Melissa’s ravioli delicious, but wonders why she incorporated shrimp into the dish - perhaps, simply to get something pink on the plate, Padma speculates. Tom says that everything Melissa did was done for a reason and technically well-executed, but found the chorizo a bit over-rendered and dried out.
Enrique compliments Greg for his representation of his artist’s work and loved the powerful ingredients that were used. Gail notes that there were many elements in the dish that spoke to his artist’s vision, especially the orange sauce that brought visual brightness to the dish and exploded in her mouth.
Padma says that Greg and Doug had the judge’s favorite dishes tonight. In announcing the winner, Enrique says it’s the person who took inspiration from his artist and turned it into great flavor. And that chef is... DOUG. Holy cow. I’m stunned. I thought for sure it’d be Greg back on top. Nicely done, Doug. He ransacked his way through Last Chance Kitchen and then swept both the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges. He’ll be the man to beat heading into the final challenge.
Thus, the final elimination is between Mei and Melissa. Tom says that both made delicious food and that it’s tough to be eliminated in this challenge because both chefs did great jobs. Padma asks if both chefs did everything they could have done. Melissa says that she’s proud of how she represented her artist. Mei declares that she wouldn’t have changed anything - she was happy with all the components in her dish.
And the chef going home tonight is... Melissa. It’s a very tough elimination for her, but she should be proud of how she fought her way into the finale. I doubt many people would have picked her to have made it this far.
Tom offers some consoling comments. “You did nothing wrong,” he tells her, “you just came up against three dishes that were stronger.”
Melissa thanks the judges for her “life changing” experience. She then turns to Mei and says “carry it on, girl.” In her closing monologue, she says that it’s devastating to have come this far and get eliminated. She will leave, however, as a different chef and a different person. She’s learned to cook without any fears.
Carry it on, girl.
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