It's always the quiet ones who win the reality cooking competitions.
Julian's Celina Tio continues to be all business on The Next Iron Chef where a strong set of dishes in this week's episode earned her a trip to Las Vegas, where the second half of the show was filmed. And for the second week in a row, she demonstrated that she's making a lot of noise on the plate, even if she's not yelling in the kitchen.
This week was episode five of the third season of The Next Iron Chef. The theme of respect felt appropriate as chef Tio's place in the competition continues to rise.
Secret Ingredient Challenge -- Potatoes. The Next Iron Chef fully embraced its militaristic tone with an actual member of the military acting as a guest judge. He came with a camouflage Army truck piled high with six kinds of potatoes, this week's secret ingredient.
"Do they have sweet potatoes in Kansas City, chef?" asks host Alton Brown.
"Yup," replies chef Tio. So don't say The Next Iron Chef isn't about breaking news.
Her sweet potato and goat cheese terrine earns a knock from chef Marco Canora, who votes it his least favorite for failing to respect the potato. But she's far from the bottom, that honor goes to chef Marc Forgione for his potato gnudi -- the end result of a failed pasta dish. Chef Conora wins the challenge with a butter poached potato that is "delicious, delicious, delicious," according to chef Tio.
Chairman's Challenge -- Culinary Tour of the United States. Before the chairman's challenge -- which comes courtesy of a taped message (seriously, is the chairman in a bunker somewhere hiding because of some terrible cable food television conflict?) and grade school map of the United States -- chef Tio tell us that "there's no point in doing this if you don't want to win."
Yes, even chefs are guilty of sports cliches. And fist bumps. At the end of each challenge or survival of an elimination, the new method of celebration appears to be fist bumps for the competitors. The six remaining competitors will have to give it 110 percent to make four dishes (one for each point of the compass) representative of American cuisine in 90 minutes. Chef Conora gets a 90-second head start, chef Forgione loses a minute of prep.
Chef Tio promises simple and homey food. She also manages to get over her fear of a pressure cooker to make a pork belly pot roast to represent the "meat and potatoes," of the Midwest. Early on it doesn't look good for Tio when she burns her rice and butterscotch sauce, but she recovers to earn solid praise from the judges.
The pot roast is jointed by a Lobster Roll on panna cotta toast (North), a butterscotch cake (East), and dirty rice with crawfish etouffee (South). Judge Simon Majumdar seems to be nitpicking when he says, "sometimes she finesses the pleasure out of certain dishes." That's like saying you're overqualified for this job. Guest Judge Jose Garces, an Iron Chef himself, says her "dishes are excellent. The presentation and elegance was really Iron Chef worthy."
Chef Ming Tsai takes home the win with perfectly cooked lamb and an admonitition to update his plating technique. He begrudgingly compliments the quiet competence of chef Tio calling her "the silent one. She doesn't say anything, but she does good food."
Chef Maneet Chauhan is eliminated for her plating issues, in part, after serving a fruit salad in avocado cup. Her elimination means that chef Tio is the only female chef remaining in the competition.
Line of the Night: "They don't want 100 percent linebacker. Or 100 percent ballerina. So, I'm thinking an NBA basketball player," Chef Bryan Caswell on his style of cooking.
Episode six is about reinventing the Las Vegas buffet. The third season of The Next Iron Chef will air on The Food Network, Sunday at 8 p.m.
[Image courtesy of Food Network]
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The entire Kansas City Dinner Club is behind this dynamo, and we watch every weekend. She's a winner, and we love her!!
Go Celina! Kansas City should be proud to have her representing us in this competition. She may be tiny but she's tough!
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