Top Chef (season 4)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Top Chef (Season 4)
The contestants of Top Chef Season 4
Winner Stephanie Izard
Original run March 12, 2008
– June 11, 2008
Filming dates Late 2007
No. of episodes 14
No. of chefs 16
Season chronology
Previous Season 3

The fourth season of American reality television series Top Chef was filmed in Chicago in the second half of 2007 and first aired on March 12, 2008 on Bravo.[1]

Contents

[edit] Promotion

In December 2007, Bravo started running a teaser commercial featuring a digital display of a clock typically used in the Top Chef kitchen, with time ticking down to zero against a black background. The commercial ended with the caption "Chicago 2008" and a voiceover from Padma Lakshmi saying "Utensils down, hands up!". In January 2008, Bravo released another teaser, this time actually showing Lakshmi. The significant news from this teaser is that Season 4 will have 16 chefs. Season 4 started on Wednesday, March 12, 2008.

[edit] Contestants

(In order of elimination)

  • Nimma Osman[2], 26 — Hometown: Peachtree City, GA; Resides in Atlanta, GA; Cook at Repast
  • Valerie Bolon,[3] 32 — Hometown/Resides in: Chicago, IL; Personal Chef
  • Erik Hopfinger,[4] 38 — Hometown: Chappaqua, NY; Resides in San Francisco, CA; Executive Chef at Circa Restaurant
  • Manuel Trevino,[5] 33 — Hometown: Laredo, TX; Resides in New York, NY; Executive Chef
  • Zoi Antonitsas,[6] 30, — Hometown: Seattle, WA; Resides in San Francisco, CA. Chef/Restaurant Consultant
  • Ryan Scott,[7] 28 — Hometown: Los Banos, CA; Resides in San Francisco, CA; Chef/Manager of Cafe Myth
  • Jennifer Biesty,[8] 35 — Hometown: Brooklyn, NY; Resides in San Francisco, CA. Executive Chef at Coco500
  • Mark Simmons,[9]29 — Hometown: Invercargill, New Zealand; Resides in New York, NY; Sous Chef at Public Restaurant
  • Nikki Cascone,[10] 35 — Hometown/Resides in: New York, NY; Chef/Co-owner of 24 Prince
  • Andrew D'Ambrosi,[11] 30 — Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL; Resides in New York, NY; sous chef at Le Cirque[11]
  • Dale Talde,[12] 29 — Hometown: Chicago, IL; Resides in New York, NY; Sous Chef at Buddakan
  • Evangelos "Spike" Mendelsohn,[13] 27 — Hometown: Clearwater Beach, FL; Resides in Washington, D.C.; owner/Good Stuff Eatery (Washington, DC)
  • Antonia Lofaso,[14] 31 — Hometown/Resides in: Los Angeles, CA; Executive Chef at Foxtail
  • Richard Blais,[15][16] 35 — Hometown: Uniondale, NY; Resides in Atlanta, GA. Chef, culinary designer, Trail-Blais[15] -- Runner-Up
  • Lisa Fernandes,[17] 27 — Hometown: Toronto, Canada; Resides in New York, NY; Chef at Mai House -- Runner-Up
  • Stephanie Izard,[18] 31 — Hometown: Stamford, CT; Resides in Chicago, IL; not working -- Winner

[edit] Contestant Progress

Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Quickfire
Winner		 None3 Mark Richard Dale Antonia Jennifer Richard Antonia Andrew
Antonia
Richard
Stephanie		 Spike Antonia Spike Stephanie None
Stephanie WIN LOW WIN HIGH HIGH HIGH LOW LOW HIGH6 HIGH WIN WIN HIGH WINNER
Lisa IN (+) IN (+) IN (+) HIGH WIN IN LOW LOW IN (-)5 LOW LOW LOW LOW Runner-Up
Richard HIGH IN IN (+) WIN LOW IN WIN IN WIN6 IN HIGH HIGH WIN Runner-Up
Antonia HIGH IN (-) HIGH LOW4 LOW HIGH LOW WIN HIGH IN HIGH HIGH OUT
Spike IN (-) IN (-) IN (-) LOW LOW IN HIGH IN LOW LOW LOW OUT
Dale IN (+) IN (-) IN (-) HIGH HIGH WIN WIN IN LOW WIN OUT
Andrew IN (-) WIN IN (-) HIGH LOW IN HIGH HIGH IN (+)5 OUT
Nikki HIGH LOW IN (+) IN IN LOW IN HIGH OUT
Mark LOW HIGH HIGH IN LOW LOW IN OUT
Jennifer IN (-) IN (+) IN (-) IN IN IN OUT
Ryan LOW IN LOW IN IN OUT
Zoi IN (+) HIGH LOW LOW4 OUT
Manuel IN (-) IN (+) IN (+) OUT
Erik LOW IN OUT
Valerie IN (+) OUT
Nimma OUT
  • Note 3: Episode 1's Quickfire Challenge resulted in the 16 contestants being split into two groups of 8: the Winners and the Losers. No elimination immunity was given to the Winners group. This was done for the purpose of the head-to-head cook-off in the Elimination Challenge.
  • Note 4: Although Antonia and Zoi landed in the bottom for this challenge, they were declared safe prior to Manuel's elimination (following a more concise explanation of their dish).
  • Note 5: Despite being on the winning team, Andrew had dishes which displeased the judges and was not declared a favorite. In contrast, despite being on the losing team, Lisa's wedding cake for the groom pleased the judges and she was spared from being eligible for elimination.
  • Note 6: Richard was originally awarded the win by the judges. Even though he gave the win to Stephanie and she shared the prize, he is considered the sole winner of this challenge according to the Bravo website.


     (WINNER) The chef won the series and was crowned Top Chef.
     (WIN) The chef won that episode's Elimination Challenge.
     (HIGH) The chef was selected as one of the top entries in the Elimination Challenge, but did not win.
     (LOW) The chef was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Elimination Challenge, but was not eliminated.
     (OUT) The chef lost that week's Elimination Challenge and was out of the competition.
     (RUNNER-UP) Runner-Up of the season.
     (IN) The chef neither won nor lost that week's Elimination Challenge. They also were not up to be eliminated.
     [IN (+)] The chef won a pair or team challenge but was not chosen as one of the judges' favorites.
     [IN (-)] The chef lost a pair or team challenge but was not selected as one of the judges' least favorites.

[edit] Episodes

Each episode includes two challenges. The Quickfire Challenge is a short, simple challenge with a varying reward each week; in the initial episodes of the season, it usually guarantees the winner immunity from being sent home that week. The Elimination Challenge is a more complex challenge that determines who goes home. One or more guest judges join the show each week to evaluate both the Quickfire and Elimination challenges. Each week's elimination is announced in a segment called "Judges' Table."

[edit] Episode 1: Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Better

  • Quickfire Challenge: Create a signature deep dish pizza. Rocco DiSpirito and Padma Lakshmi served as Quickfire judges. Prize: Immunity from elimination was not awarded to the winners of this Quickfire. No other prize was noted in the broadcast airing.
    • WINNER: There was no one winner for this challenge.
      • The Winners' Group: Antonia, Dale, Erik, Jennifer, Mark, Richard, Ryan, Spike
      • The Losers' Group: Andrew, Lisa, Manuel, Nikki, Nimma, Stephanie, Valerie, Zoi
  • Elimination Challenge: The winners of the Quickfire must cook head-to-head against the losers, using one dish from a list of classic dishes. The winners drew numbered knives and chose one of the losers as their opponent. The opponent then selected which dish the pair will each prepare. Both dishes will be served to the judges simultaneously, with decisions to follow immediately.
    • Pairs of Winners vs. Losers (in the order they chose their competitor), followed by the type of dish they were to make. The name of the winning chef for each dish is italicized.
    • Of the eight winners, Antonia, Nikki, Richard, and Stephanie were chosen as the judges' favorites.
    • Of the eight losers, Erik, Mark, Nimma, and Ryan were chosen as the judges' least favorites.
  • WINNER: Stephanie (Duck breast, mushrooms, bok choy, and duck spring rolls with orange-soy glaze)
  • ELIMINATED: Nimma (Shrimp scampi with cauliflower scramble)
  • Elimination Challenge Prize: None noted in the broadcast airing.
  • Guest judges: Rocco DiSpirito; Anthony Bourdain (Elimination Challenge)
  • First aired March 12, 2008

[edit] Episode 2: Zoo Food

  • Quickfire Challenge: Each chef is to create a dish using no more than five ingredients (excluding salt, pepper, sugar, oil), either purchased at Chicago's Green City Market or from the Top Chef pantry. This week's prize: Immunity from elimination.
    • The Best: Mark, Ryan, Valerie
    • The Worst: Erik, Richard, Spike
      • WINNER: Mark (Sirloin steak, turnips, mushrooms, peaches, butter)
  • Elimination Challenge: Five teams of three are selected by drawing knives, each assigned a specific animal (bear, gorilla, lion, penguin, and vulture). The teams must prepare a series of appetizers based around their animal's diet for a gathering of 200 guests at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Teams are given a half-hour and $500 to shop at the Whole Foods market, three hours to prep in the Top Chef kitchen, and a final hour to set up on-site.
    • Team Bear: Dale, Nikki, Spike
    • Team Gorilla: Antonia, Stephanie, Valerie
    • Team Lion: Erik, Richard, Ryan
    • Team Penguin: Andrew, Jennifer, Lisa
    • Team Vulture: Manuel, Mark, Zoi
  • WINNER: Andrew of Team Penguin (Squid ceviche with soy-balsamic tapioca, yuzu-mint glacier (gelee))
  • ELIMINATED: Valerie of Team Gorilla (Black olive blini with fennel mascarpone, rutabaga & beets)
  • Elimination Challenge Prize: None noted in the broadcast airing.
  • Guest Judge: Wylie Dufresne
  • First aired March 19, 2008

[edit] Episode 3: Block Party

  • Quickfire Challenge: Create a taco dish that elevates the taco to fine-dining. In addition to winning immunity, the winning dish will go on the menu at Rick Bayless' restaurant Topolobampo.
    • The Best: Andrew, Richard, Spike
    • The Worst: Erik, Lisa, Ryan
  • Elimination Challenge: Divided into two teams of seven, the chefs must cater a Chicago neighborhood's annual Block Party. The teams must only use ingredients that they can get from the residents of the block.
    • Blue Team: Antonia, Lisa, Manuel, Mark, Nikki, Richard, Stephanie
    • Red Team: Andrew, Dale, Erik, Jennifer, Ryan, Spike, Zoi
  • WINNER: Stephanie of Blue Team (Mixed fruit with oatmeal-pine nut crumble, cinnamon whipped cream, fried wonton dough)
  • ELIMINATED: Erik of Red Team (Corn dogs with pomegranate ketchup and spicy mustard)
  • Elimination Challenge Prize: None noted in the broadcast airing.
  • Guest Judge: Rick Bayless
  • First aired: March 26, 2008

[edit] Episode 4: Film Food

  • Quickfire Challenge: Create a vegetable platter using the various vegetables provided, in addition to all of the items from the entire Top Chef pantry. The chefs must utilize at least three techniques in their dish. The winner receives immunity in the next Elimination Challenge.
    • The Best: Dale, Richard, Zoi
    • The Worst: Lisa, Manuel, Nikki
      • WINNER: Dale (Vegan sashimi platter with daikon marinated in tobanjan (spicy miso paste) and a tournee of avocado and cucumber)
  • Elimination Challenge: Draw knives to pair up into six teams of two (with Dale having the privilege of selecting which pair he'll join to make one group of three). Then, create a 6-course meal, with each dish being inspired by the chefs' favorite film. The dinner will be for critic Richard Roeper, actress Aisha Tyler, and company.
  • WINNER: Richard of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Smoked salmon with tapioca pearls and wasabi white chocolate sauce)
  • ELIMINATED: Manuel of Good Morning, Vietnam (Summer roll with chili-rubbed Chilean sea bass and pickled Swiss chard)
  • Elimination Challenge Prize: None noted in the broadcast airing.
  • Guest Judge: Daniel Boulud
  • First aired: April 2, 2008

[edit] Episode 5: The Elements

  • Quickfire Challenge: The chefs' palates are tested by a series of 15 comparisons. For every comparison, each chef is blindfolded and tastes two variations of a certain food, one of which is of a lesser quality than the other. The chefs are scored for each high-end ingredient they correctly identify.
    • The Best: Antonia (12/15); Jen (11/15), Ryan (11/15)
    • The Worst: Stephanie (6/15)
      • WINNER: Antonia (Prize: Immunity in the next Elimination Challenge.)
  • Elimination Challenge: The chefs are split into four groups of three by drawing knives, each assigned to one of the classical elements: Earth, Water, Fire, or Air. Each team is to create a first-course meal based on that element for 80 people of Chicago's Celebrity Chef-Meals on Wheels Fundraiser, held at the old Marshall Field & Co. Building. Survey cards were filled out by the patrons of the dinner that evening and used as part of the judging process.
    • Team Air: Jennifer, Nikki, Ryan
    • Team Earth: Antonia, Spike, Zoi
    • Team Fire: Dale, Lisa, Stephanie
    • Team Water: Andrew, Mark, Richard
  • WINNER: Lisa of Team Fire (Grilled shrimp with pickled chili salad, deviled aioli, and miso-smoked bacon)
  • ELIMINATED: Zoi of Team Earth (Beef carpaccio with mushroom salad and sunchoke aioli)
  • Elimination Challenge Prize: A five-day trip for two (the winning chef and a guest) to Italy.
  • Guest Judge: Ming Tsai
  • First aired: April 9, 2008

[edit] Episode 6: Tailgating

  • Quickfire Challenge: Each contestant is allowed to taste three beers from several different brands prior to selecting one. With that beer, each contestant is then challenged to create a matching dish that works with the beer. Prize: Immunity from the next Elimination Challenge.
    • The Best: Jennifer, Richard, Stephanie
    • The Worst: Dale, Nikki, Spike
      • WINNER: Jennifer (Landshark Lager — Shrimp and scallop Beignets with fennel avocado & pepper pureés)
  • Elimination Challenge: The contestants are asked to create meals for a tailgating party at Soldier Field prior to a Chicago Bears football game (Week 6 game versus the Minnesota Vikings). The chefs are given preparation time both at the Top Chef kitchen and at the field, prior to serving, on grills. The top and bottom three dishes were selected from the crowd participating in the tailgating party, including former Bears players Richard Dent, Gale Sayers and William "The Refrigerator" Perry, though the final decision of the winner and eliminated chef was left to the judges.
  • WINNER: Dale (Baby back ribs marinated in tandoori, potato salad with raisins & mango)
  • ELIMINATED: Ryan (Bread salad with marinated chicken, poached pears and brandy cocoa)
  • Elimination Challenge Prize: A Weber Summit 650 Gas Grill (as used in the elimination challenge) and a Bears jersey labeled with "Top Chef".
  • Guest Judge: Koren Grieveson (Quickfire Challenge); Paul Kahan (Elimination Challenge)
  • First aired: April 16, 2008

[edit] Episode 7: Improv

  • Quickfire Challenge: Each chef is to make a dessert that will please the judges. The winner will receive immunity in the next challenge and have his or her Quickfire recipe placed in the Top Chef cookbook.
    • The Best: Dale, Lisa, Richard
    • The Worst: Antonia, Mark, Spike
      • WINNER: Richard (Banana scallops with banana guacamole and chocolate ice cream)
  • Elimination Challenge: The chefs attend a performance of the improvisational comedy troupe, Second City. During the performance, the Second City actors obtain combinations of a color, emotion, and ingredient from the audience, creating five descriptions for meals that the chefs are then to prepare. The chefs freely split into teams and select the order for the courses, and, as they discover during cooking, are unable to use electric mixers or food processors as they have been removed from the Top Chef kitchen for this challenge. The chefs also discover as they cook that — while an elaborate table was present in the kitchen — they will be serving their meals at the Top Chef house, and that they only have 20 minutes to move to the house from this announcement.
    • First Course: "Yellow Love Vanilla" (Andrew & Spike)
    • Second Course: "Orange Turned-On Asparagus" (Jennifer & Stephanie)
    • Third Course: "Green Perplexed Tofu" (Dale & Richard)
    • Fourth Course: "Magenta Drunk Polish Sausage" (Antonia & Lisa)
    • Fifth Course: "Purple Depressed Bacon" (Mark & Nikki)
  • WINNERS: Dale & Richard (Tofu "steak" marinated in beef fat with green curry)
  • ELIMINATED: Jennifer (Menage a trois of orange with goat cheese, asparagus, salad and olive tapénade)
  • Guest Judge: Johnny Iuzzini (executive pastry chef, Jean-Georges restaurant, New York City)
  • First aired: April 23, 2008
  • Elimination Challenge Prize: Each team member receives $2,500 worth of Calphalon kitchenware.

[edit] Episode 8: Common Threads

  • Quickfire Challenge: Each chef is to create an entree in only 15 minutes, using Uncle Ben's Rice as a primary ingredient. The winner receives immunity in the next challenge.
    • The Best: Antonia, Dale, Richard
    • The Worst: Lisa, Mark, Stephanie
      • WINNER: Antonia (Rice Salad with Skirt Steak, Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes)
  • Elimination Challenge: The contestants are told to make a healthy, simple and flavorful meal for a family of four, using only $10. Meal preparation would take place at the Washburn Culinary Institute. There, each chef is then paired with a child from the Common Threads program who will participate in preparing the dish and will be responsible for explaining the dish to fellow children from the program during the tasting.
  • WINNER: Antonia (Stir Fry Whole Wheat Noodles with Bok Choy, Chicken, Edamame & Cilantro)
  • ELIMINATED: Mark (Roasted Vegetables in Red Curry with Cucumber Salad & Garlic Naan)
  • Guest Judge: Art Smith
  • First aired: April 30, 2008

[edit] Episode 9: Wedding Wars

  • Quickfire Challenge: The chefs draw knives to split into two teams of four and are put to a mis en place relay race. One person from each team must supreme oranges (Antonia/Lisa), turn artichokes (Andrew/Spike), fillet monkfish (Richard/Dale), and create mayonnaise from scratch (Stephanie/Nikki). Each chef must receive approval from Tom before the next person on their team can begin their task.
    • Winning Team: Andrew, Antonia, Richard, Stephanie
    • Losing Team: Dale, Lisa, Nikki, Spike
      • From this point on, the winner(s) of the Quickfire Challenge will no longer receive immunity from elimination.
  • Elimination Challenge: Instead of the usual "Restaurant Wars" challenge, the teams are challenged to "Wedding Wars": the two teams must cater a 250-guest wedding (125 guests to be served per team) for a couple who own a restaurant and wedding facility. Each team will prepare a different menu, one team responsible for meeting the bride's requests, while the other for the groom; this selection is given to the team that won the Quickfire Challenge. The wedding is to take place the next day, and the teams are given 30 minutes to discuss the menu with the bride or groom, 30 minutes to plan, $3000 to shop at a large food warehouse and $2000 at Whole Foods Market, and 14 hours (through the night) of preparation time in the Top Chef kitchen followed by additional preparation time at the banquet.
  • WINNER: Richard & Stephanie, of the Bride's team
  • ELIMINATED: Nikki, of the Groom's team
  • Elimination challenge prize: A $2000 gift certificate to Crate & Barrel (Stephanie and Richard decided to split the prize)
  • Guest Judge: Gale Gand, pastry chef at Tru (Elimination Challenge only)
  • First aired: May 7, 2008
  • NOTE: Richard was awarded the win by the judges, but chose to give the prize to Stephanie for her work in the challenge.[19]

[edit] Episode 10: Serve and Protect

  • Quickfire Challenge: The chefs are given 45 minutes to create a modern take on a salad using fresh produce and items from the Top Chef pantry.
    • The Best: Antonia, Dale, Spike
    • The Worst: Lisa, Richard, Stephanie
      • WINNER: Spike ("Sensual Beef Salad" with pineapple, radish, cucumber and skirt steak)
  • Elimination Challenge: Chefs are challenged to create a healthy, delicious, and filling box lunch meal for the members of the Chicago police academy. The meal must contain at least one ingredient from each of the the following categories: whole grain, lean protein, fruit and vegetable. Any final preparation step (such as microwaving) must be completed by the diners. The Quickfire winner (Spike) is given ten additional minutes to shop, and first choice of each of the four required ingredients, which the other chefs are then not permitted to use. (Spike chose bread, chicken, tomato, and lettuce as his exclusive ingredients.)
  • WINNER: Dale (Lemongrass bison cabbage wrap with brown rice and herb salad)
  • ELIMINATED: Andrew (Salmon roll with parsnip-pine nut "rice" and pickled ginger wasabi)
  • Elimination challenge prize: A bottle of wine from a Napa Valley winery and a trip to visit their vineyards.
  • Guest Judge: Sam Talbot
  • First aired: May 14, 2008

[edit] Episode 11: Restaurant Wars

  • Quickfire Challenge: Taking turns, each chef would spend the same amount of time manning the egg station during the busy breakfast hours at Lou Mitchell's. The chef's performance would be judged by both Tom Colicchio and the restaurant's owner, based on who she'd be most likely to hire.
    • The Best: Antonia and Dale
    • The Worst: No worst chefs were named.
      • WINNER: Antonia
  • Elimination Challenge: For the standard "Restaurant Wars" challenge, the chefs had to open up a restaurant in teams of three for a dinner service, consisting of three courses with two selections for each for approximately 35 guests the next day. The winner would be judged based on both the normal judges and comment cards filled out by the patrons. Each team had $1,500 to spend on food, and $5,000 from Pier 1 Imports for decor. The winner of the Quickfire would be able to select his or her teammates for the challenge. One chef from each team was to assist in front of the house duties along with additional waitstaff. Midway through the challenge, each team's executive chef was allowed to select one additional assisting chef from the last four that were eliminated from the show; Antonia chose Nikki and Dale chose Jennifer.
    • "Warehouse Kitchen": Antonia, Richard, Stephanie; Nikki
    • 1st Course: Beet salad with goat cheese and Ras el Hanout Spices, Linguine and clams with sausage and horseradish crème fraîche
    • 2nd Course: Trout with cauliflower, Lamb loin and braised lamb shank
    • 3rd Course: Gorgonzola cheesecake with sweet potato puree and concord grape sauce, Banana “scallops” with banana guacamole and chocolate ice cream
    • "Mai Buddha": Dale, Lisa, Spike; Jennifer
    • 1st Course: Spicy coconut shrimp laksa, Pork and pickled plum pot stickers
    • 2nd Course: Braised short ribs with pickled red cabbage and apple basil salad, Butterscotch miso scallops, spicy eggplant and pickled long beans
    • 3rd Course: Halo-halo with cantaloupe, coconut, kiwi, avocado and candied nuts, Mango sticky rice with toasted coconut
  • WINNER: Stephanie of "Warehouse Kitchen"
  • ELIMINATED: Dale of "Mai Buddha"
  • Elimination challenge prize: Trip for two to Barcelona, Spain, including a guided wine tour.
  • Guest Judges: Anthony Bourdain (temporarily taking over head judge duties during the Elimination Challenge from Tom Colicchio who was invited to a charity event); José Andrés
  • First aired: May 21, 2008

[edit] Episode 12: High Steaks

  • Quickfire Challenge: At a meat packing warehouse, each chef is given twenty minutes to butcher and clean seven "tomahawk chops" from an aged side of beef. Then, at the Top Chef kitchen, they are given an additional thirty minutes to prepare two of the chops to the guest judge's preference- medium-rare.
    • The Best: Antonia, Lisa, Spike
    • The Worst: Richard and Stephanie
      • WINNER: Spike
  • Elimination Challenge: Each chef had to create an appetizer and an entree and work the line at Rick Tramonto's Steak & Seafood restaurant. The Quickfire winner was able to select two proteins to use for his or her dishes, disallowing the other chefs to use those proteins.
  • WINNER: Stephanie (Sweetbreads with golden raisins, fennel and pine nuts; Beef tenderloin with wild mushrooms and apple sauce)
  • ELIMINATED: Spike (Seared scallops with hearts of palm and oyster mushrooms; Tomahawk chop, sweet potato puree, Brussels sprouts, and cipollinis)
  • Elimination challenge prize: Cook book by Rick Tramonto and a suite of GE Monogram appliances.
  • Guest Judges: Rick Tramonto, Harold Dieterle, Ilan Hall, and Hung Huynh
  • Note: Spike Mendelsohn was the first contestant in the show's history to win the Quickfire Challenge and be eliminated in the same episode.
  • First aired: May 28, 2008

[edit] Episode 13: Puerto Rico Finale, Part 1

  • Quickfire Challenge: Each chef is to make frituras (fritters) with the primary ingredient being plantains.
    • The Best: Stephanie and Lisa
    • The Worst: Antonia and Richard
      • WINNER: Stephanie
  • Elimination Challenge: Each chef is to prepare three dishes for a reception to be held at La Fortaleza. Each chef is given a pig to butcher, and must use at least two different parts of it in two of three dishes. The last four previously eliminated chefs are brought back as sous chefs to assist, with the Quickfire winner given the ability to select which sous chef works with each chef (Dale to Stephanie, Spike to Richard, Nikki to Antonia, and Andrew to Lisa). While the chefs butcher the pig, the sous chefs shop for ingredients at a local market. The chefs have 2 hours of prep time on the day before the reception, followed by five hours of cooking time just prior to the reception.
  • WINNER: Richard
  • ELIMINATED: Antonia
  • Elimination Challenge Prize: 2009 Toyota Corolla S
  • Guest Judges: Wilo Benet
  • This episode took place six months after the previous episode in Chicago, and took place in Puerto Rico.
  • First aired: June 4, 2008

[edit] Episode 14: Puerto Rico Finale, Part 2

  • Final Challenge: Each chef is asked to create a traditional four-course meal for nine guests, consisting of a fish course, a poultry course, a red meat course, and a dessert in order. Each chef is paired for the first day of cooking with one of three famous chefs (Eric Ripert, Dan Barber, April Bloomfield) and an array of proteins selected by that chef. The order for picking the guest chefs is determined by the number of previous elimination round wins, with ties broken by knife pulling. On the second day, the chefs must finish the meal preparation alone.

Richard (paired with Dan Barber):

Lisa (paired with April Bloomfield):

Stephanie (paired with Eric Ripert):

  • RUNNERS-UP: Richard, Lisa
  • WINNER of Top Chef 4: Stephanie Izard
  • NOTE: There was no Quickfire Challenge in this episode.
  • NOTE: $100,000 prize

[edit] Episode 15: Reunion

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Chicago Tribune: The Watcher - All TV, all the time
  2. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Nimma Osman recipes
  3. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Valerie Bolon recipes
  4. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Erik Hopfinger recipes
  5. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Manuel Trevino recipes
  6. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Zoi Antonitsas recipes
  7. ^ Ryan Scott's Page on MySpace
  8. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Jennifer Biesty recipes
  9. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Mark Simmons recipes
  10. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Nikki Cascone recipes
  11. ^ a b Eater.com: "Mystery Top Chef Contestant Sous Chef at Le Cirque", February 20, 2008
  12. ^ Metromix: "'Top Chef' Season 4: Dale Talde", by Jacqui Gal, February 29, 2008
  13. ^ Last name per Admiral Farragut Academy North Tribute Website, "Ex-AFA Cadet on Bravo's Top Chef!, April 3, 2008
  14. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Antonia Lofaso recipes
  15. ^ a b RichardBlais.net
  16. ^ yumsugar.com YumSugar.com March 11, 2008: "Meet 'Top Chef' Hopeful Richard Blais". Per same source, he was previously a competitor on Iron Chef America
  17. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Lisa Fernandes recipes
  18. ^ Last name per BravoTV.com: Stephanie Izard recipes
  19. ^ BRAVOtv.com : Top Chef : Season 4 : burning

[edit] References

[edit] External links

 This article relating to reality television in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.