Week 2 of Top Chef starts immediately with some beauty shots of the Milwaukee skyline and kayakers along the Milwaukee River.
Chefs Michelle and Manny enjoy a morning walk near the river before the competition gets underway. After driving under the Historic Third Ward sign, the chefs arrive for the competition to find 2 surprises: Guest Judge and previous winner of Top Chef, Joe Flamm, and the star of their next challenge — hops.
Quickfire Challenge:
Host Kristen Kish dives a bit into the importance of hops in making beer, plus beer’s role in Milwaukee’s history and its “Brew City” nickname. So, for this challenge, the chefs have 30 minutes to cook a dish incorporating hops.
The chefs jump in immediately, finding numerous ways to cook their hops. Many of them mention just how bitter the hops are and the struggle to work this into the dish. Chef Amanda, who says she has cooked with hops in the past, describes hops as “oregano on steroids.” Various techniques are utilized to incorporate their hops, from steeping hops like tea, to trying to balance the flavor with a sweetness from strawberries.
The dishes:
- Amanda: Cured rainbow trout with hop dashi, grapefruit, and blood orange
- Laura: Hop infused rice pudding
- Danny: Grilled rack of lamb with hops au poivre
- Michelle: Grilled flank steak, vinaigrette hops
- Alisha: Grilled peaches with hops and Aleppo chili honey
- Dan: Charred cabbage salad, with citrus, herbs and hops
- Kevin: Roasted blackberries with crumble and hops infused in oil
- Charly: Lambic hop braised Haitian fried chicken
- Manny: Roasted pork loin with shishito hops chimichurri
- Savannah: Crab salad with hops infused puree
- Kenny: Hops and kombu broth with farro
- Rasika: Hops infused green chermoula
- Kaleena: Hop-cured tuna
- Valentine: Hop smoked duck breast
Laura is named the winner of the challenge. The judges said her rice pudding was a good way to infuse flavor and she showcased the hops the best. She wins $5000.
Elimination Challenge:
This brings the group to the Elimination Challenge, where the chefs get a quick lesson in the importance of Miller Beer in the Brew City. This challenge is a team challenge, where chefs are tasked with taking salty snacks found in any bar, and featuring them in an elevated, fine dining dish. They will make a 7-course progressive meal using popcorn, pickles, pretzels, mixed nuts, potato chips, olives, and toasted corn kernels. The meal will be served inside the historic Miller Caves.
The chefs split into 2 groups and divide up the courses among each other. After a whirlwind grocery trip where Team Red goes over their $500 limit and must take back a few items, they all get a chance to relax and chat inside the Chef’s Loft. Milwaukee Chef Dan Jacobs (DanDan, EsterEv) reveals in his confessional that years ago he was diagnosed with Kennedy’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease similar to MS. He fears this will get in his way in the competition, but he isn’t ready to reveal it to the group yet, lest they think of him differently.
Challenge morning:
The challenge day begins with shots of Miller Brewing. As they begin cooking, some of the chefs have fun with a chant that goes “When I say Wi-, you say –sconsin! Wi! Sconsin!” Each team has produced a menu utilizing each of the required ingredients.
Yellow team
- Savannah: Cucumber and melon salad, cream cheese with shredded pickle
- Alisha: Olives smoked salmon spread with olive chimichurri
- Michelle: Toasted corn kernel and crab biscuit. Using beer in her spicy honey!
- Dan: Popcorn mousse with clams
- Manny: Mixed nuts with chicken breast and mole
- Kenny: Potato chip pave with short rib gravy
- Rasika: Pretzel barley cake and honey mustard sauvignon
Red team
- Kevin: Olive canapes trio tapenade
- Danny: Quick cured salmon with preserved lemon and pickles
- Laura: Mixed nuts badrijani
- Valentine: Corn soup
- Charly: Potato chip crusted Spanish mackerel
- Amanda: Beer and pretzel pre dessert
- Kaleena: Popcorn and caramel budino
While the cooking continues, the judges and dinner guests show up in the Miller Caves for dinner. They toast their champagne glasses of Miller High Life.
The first familiar Wisconsin face at the dinner is comedian Charlie Berens, who gets the Miller-themed tagline “The Champagne of Comedians.” Other notable Wisconsin dinner guests include Luke Zahm, Chef and co-owner of Driftless Cafe in Viroqua, Omar Shaikh, owner of Carnevor and 3rd Street Market Hall, Kyle Knall, Chef/ Owner of Birch, and Jamie Brown-Soukaseume of Ahan in Madison.
As the group critiques each dish, Charlie Berens seems agape and mentions “representing the average fella” at the judge's table. Overall, the judges seemed less than impressed by many of the dishes- there was even raw mackerel among the plates.
There is a moment where Chef Dan struggles to plate his popcorn dish due to his shaky hands and must rely on help from other chefs. He says that it is some nerves, but 70% part of Kennedy’s disease.
The chefs return to the loft after the team challenge and start enjoying some drinks out of German steins. Chef Dan takes this opportunity to open up about his Kennedy’s disease diagnosis and thank the team for his help today. He says he is losing his ability to use his hands, walk, speak, and swallow. So far in this competition the group has all gotten along very well with each other, and they thank Dan for sharing his story with them.
Judges table:
The winner of the competition is team yellow!
The judges thought they made good use of the ingredients. They seemed most impressed by the dessert, which used mustard and pretzel. They also loved Manny’s mole.
The challenge winner is Rasika for her unique dessert! She wins $10,000 from Miller and immunity for the next week.
As for the least favorite dishes, the judges found that Charley's fish was severely undercooked, under seasoned and bland. Valentine’s soup was too thick, and Kevin did not have any distinction in his salty and uninspired olive dish.
Valentine ends up getting eliminated.
Previews for next week appear to show cherries, cheese, and a hot day cooking on a farm. Looks like more Wisconsin fun to come!
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