Working or cooking under pressure is definitely hard. But Top Chef takes this to a whole new level with its challenging tasks along with the fear of elimination looming around the corner. As many are already aware, Season 22 of the show recently premiered, and it has already taken things up a notch by pushing the chefs into the most intense test yet.
But this tough cooking challenge is not the only thing that is turning heads this week. And Schitt’s Creek’s Sarah Levy also made an appearance as a guest judge. While she might have played the sweet Twyla Sands on the show, here she came with an unexpected twist.
Guest judges bring in one of the most grueling challenges yet on Top Chef
Think winning Top Chef is easy? Well! Think again as the heat is rising in Season 22 of the competition. The show brought forth several new elements this time. While the location is surely attention-grabbing, it’s the grand prize that’s on the radar of the participants.
But winning the same is not as easy as it seems, and with the recently aired second episode, it’s safe to say that Top Chef has raised the bar to a whole new level. With Canada in the backdrop, Episode 2 threw some Canadian-inspired challenges at the remaining 14 chefs.
Along with Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons, Schitt’s Creek star Sarah Levy and renowned chef Daniel Boulud also joined the panel as guest judges. And it’s safe to say that they weren’t there just to taste the food. Unlike the rest, Vincenzo “Vinny” held onto immunity given his last week’s victory. So, for the others, this Quickfire Challenge had a lot at stake, and any minor error could send anybody home.
This time the challenge featured the iconic Canadian dish poutine, and since most of the chefs hailed from America, they were given the task to reinvent the dish. While some chefs delivered bold and interesting flavors, others simply failed to grab the attention of the judges. Even Levy didn’t shy away from offering her critiques.
But out of the lot, Massimo’s take on potato roulade earned praise for capturing the true essence of poutine, and Kat’s traditional approach also won the judges over. Ultimately, it was Shuai who won the challenge and also the $5,000 prize for his soy sauce fondant potato and three-cheese sauce.
Immediately after this, the elimination challenge also took place and was inspired by Canada’s sugar shack brunch tradition.
The chefs were divided into two teams and were responsible for crafting a maple-infused brunch menu. Chef Boulud, who had crafted the challenge, made his preferences clear that he had a soft spot for soufflés, leaving them eager to impress him. But while both the teams did their best, it was the brown team that won the challenge and the $35,000 prize money.
And the individual winner of the challenge was Zubair, who bagged the immunity for the next challenge.
The reason why Padma Lakshmi changed her name as a teenager
Padma Lakshmi will always be connected to Top Chef with the legacy that she left behind even after her departure. And just like her no-nonsense approach on the show, she’s also quite outspoken about embracing one’s cultural identity. But as a teenager she herself made a choice that pushed her quite away from her roots.
In an interview via The New Yorker, the former host revealed that during her high school days, instead of Padma, she asked others to call her “Angelique.” While she did this when she was young, now when she looks back at it, she has mixed emotions.
Lakshmi had grown up in a predominantly white town outside of Los Angeles and was among only a few South Asian students in her school. So, at the age of 14, she decided to adopt a new name that would help her to fit in and still be unique. She said, “I still wanted to be a little exotic, clearly.”
While her mom, Vijaya, went along with the change, Lakshmi also added that now she realizes that her decision might have hurt her. This was something that happened in the past, but now she fully embraces her identity and even shares the same cultural traditions with her daughter Krishna as well.
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