S17.E13: Parma

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

The chefs are treated to a culinary dream trip to Parma, the legendary home of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Prosciutto di Parma ham; the chefs must feature the ingredients in two courses and serve their dishes to a table of 16 Michelin stars.

Original air date: June 11, 2020

[Bastet]

YES!  Can this season end in a tie between Melissa and Stephanie?  Okay, at least let them be one and two.  Melissa has been my pick from early on, but I’m also loving watching Stephanie surge at exactly the right time. 

What a great challenge, producing great food; I’d give a lot to be a diner at that table.  Especially when I saw Padma’s face when she ate Stephanie’s pasta.  This woman eats terrific food for a living, and she reacted like that.

Stephanie and Melissa kicked ass!  And I fucking loved watching the guys’ “wait, what, the chicks rather than us?” reaction when they were announced as the top two.  Yep.

When Melissa’s broth broke, my heart dropped.  I’m so glad she had time to do it again.  Her and Stephanie’s primo dishes were by leaps and bounds most interesting to me in that round – all looked and sounded delicious (well, not Kevin’s, because I hate beans, but that’s just personal preference), but I think they took the most risk and killed it.  The guys went more traditional and had errors. 

Secondo, Stephanie making a cabbage rather than a meat dish?  My imaginary friend is a fucking rock star!  Her dish looked great, as did Melissa’s.

Bryan’s dish described as good technique but no soul is why I have never rooted for him (I don’t root against him, but I don’t root for him).  Part of Kevin’s dish simply described as “not so good” made me laugh.

Kevin seemed like the one to go, but the editors are not beyond fake-outs, so I wasn’t sure until it happened. 

Watching those big cheese wheels cut by hand was interesting (LOL later at “they made it look so easy!” when Bryan was doing it).  The whole tour of Parma was interesting.  I love both ingredients, and seeing them handed those high-quality offerings was like seeing them given unlimited truffle access last week – what a treat (for me just to watch, so for them?!).  Add in the markets and that cellar meal, and I was truly in awe of their experience.

I wonder why Kevin randomly referred to himself in the third person during a talking head; maybe he was parroting back the phrasing of the producer’s question.

Hearing about Melissa’s changed relationship with her dad made me really happy for her, in a bittersweet way – no one should have to wait decades to hear “I’m proud of you” from a parent.  “My parents love me” and “my parents are proud of me” should be two things every kid in the world can take for granted.  Way too many can’t.

[hula-la]

I’m really looking forward to the finale, as I’ll be happy with any of the cheftestants as the winner. 

Gail’s dress reminded me of the peacock outside. 

[FormerMod-a1]

So glad Stephanie is doing so well.  She's become a favorite of mine.

Also glad Bryan is still here.  Hope he can do better next week.

Lastly, Go Melissa!  She is doing so well across the board!

[MerBearStare]

Wow, was really not expecting Kevin to be eliminated, especially since all the speculation has been that he would win. 

I said last week that I would have kept Gregory over Stephanie, but I was glad to see her doing so well this week. I loved all the vegetables she used for her dishes. I would love to try the cabbage dish.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when the judges criticize a dish for not having heart/soul/whatever other woo woo. All I care about is how it tastes. I'm not looking to eat heart; I'm looking to eat a delicious meal.

Edited June 12, 2020 by MerBearStare

[FormerMod-a1]

Also,  Bryan, I'll comfort you.  😄 

[Michichick]

I’m so happy! I want Stephanie to win but will be fine with any of the final three. So glad Kevin is gone!

[Nordly Beaumont]

I thought for sure Brian was gone, something about the first talking head he did where he said something about how Italy will change the way he cooks, and his life. It just seemed like he was eliminated and was finding the bright side.

Anyone of the final three for the win! 

[buttersister]

This may be my favorite Top Chef episode ever!

Extraordinary location. Superb Italian chefs. Two of the world’s best ingredients. And Kevin was told to pykag, 

Carry on, Final 3! I’ll be good with any of you. But especially Melissa. But especially Stephanie.

[ProudMary]

I absolutely think the judges made the right call. Kevin's pork looked overdone, but I thought it was ironic that Gail and Tom berated both Kevin and Bryan for not crisping the prosciutto, when they were both following the advice of the prosciutto master, who told them, "Never cook!"

[Mellowyellow]

Omg guys!!!!! Squeeeeeeee

I could not watch last week after knowing Gregory left. I adore him so that was quite a sting.

But I'm back on board the train now after reading who is in the final three!!!!!!

My Gregory loving heart is somewhat mollified as I really like Melissa and Stephanie. Quite like Bryan and his dorky laugh too! 

[Irlandesa]

As Kevin said at the dinner table to the Italian chef, "Gracias!"  I'm glad he's gone.

I'm a bit of a picky eater so I don't always crave what they make on the show even though I do think it's beautiful.  But tonight? I could eat what Stephanie and Melissa made for their first meal every single night for the rest of my life. Especially Melissa's.  A broth made out of parmesean?  I love a great broth.

6 minutes ago, MerBearStare said:

One of my biggest pet peeves is when the judges criticize a dish for not having heart/soul/what ever other woo woo. All I care about is how it tastes. I'm not looking to eat heart; I'm looking to eat a delicious meal.

Ha. I hear this but I do think I understood the critique a little better when they focused on what he did with the foamed cheese.

[dbell1]

Whoot!!! Goodbye Kevin. You’ve been acting like the winner for weeks with condescending little speeches in the stew room, and “inspirational” talks to the camera. Suck it. Can you tell I’m happy? I thought he’d get the pity save. 

Stephanie has been impressive. The private chef that bloomed is a great story. Of all the food they’ve shown, I’d eat hers first. Would it kill these people to give her a win? 

Bryan just looked defeated. He really needs to put down the foam thing and cook. 

I thought Padma was going to knock the cheese spoon out of Kevin’s hand, she looked really annoyed. 🤣

Melissa has grown on me too this season. She’s content with life, and it shows. And when she messed up the broth, she put another together rather than having a fit.

Not looking forward to Malarky and LeeAnn coming back next week. I was hoping they were off my screen for good. Guess Gregory’s back was still messed up.  But it’s been a good season. 

Edited June 12, 2020 by dbell1

[rlc]

So freaking happy right now! Best final three ever. Especially glad that Kevin is gone after his little dig at Bryan at the judges’ table:

Paraphrasing Padma, ‘Bryan, the Italian chefs thought that your food didn’t have soul.‘
Kevin to Padma- ‘I think I cooked with the most soul I’ve ever shown’.

 

[Nordly Beaumont]

6 minutes ago, dbell1 said:

Melissa has grown on me too this season. She’s content with life, and it shows. And when she messed up the broth, she put another together rather than having a fit.

I thought it was cute when she said "I don't usually cuss" - because she said shit.

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Mellowyellow said:

Omg guys!!!!! Squeeeeeeee

I could not watch last week after knowing Gregory left. I adore him so that was quite a sting.

But I'm back on board the train now after reading who is in the final three!!!!!!

My Gregory loving heart is somewhat mollified as I really like Melissa and Stephanie. Quite like Bryan and his dorky laugh too! 

I adore Gregory too and was so bummed last week, but I read an interview with him today that went into much greater detail about his back injury and spasms.  He was in bad bad bad shape.  He said it was very hard to even get through the truffle hunt.

This is my favorite Final Three ever!  I’d be happy with any of the three.  I’m absolutely shocked that they really, truly told Mr. LCK Kevin to PYKAG (I’m not a fan), but it was the right call and he left feeling good about sending a message of coming back after a grave illness.

Edited June 12, 2020 by MerBearHou

[avecsans]

Bye, Kevin. You can go back to cooking plantation food now.  I laughed because he is supposed to be Mr. Pork, but that sad hunk of pork with an apple slice looked so unsophisticated when compared with Melissa’s and Stephanie’s dishes.  I want Stephanie’s cabbage dish now.  And also Melissa’s scallop.

People change, but Kevin seemed like a different person this time around. Whether it’s due to his bout with cancer, a good Las Vegas edit, or something else entirely, I don’t know. But man, what a pompous prat.  I think Tom’s opinion of Kevin went down when he spooned the cheese on the diners’ plates like he was at the freaking Olive Garden.

Melissa for the win.
 

 

[Miss chi chi]

5 minutes ago, rlc said:

So freaking happy right now! Best final three ever. Especially glad that Kevin is gone after his little dig at Bryan at the judges’ table:

Paraphrasing Padma, ‘Bryan, the Italian chefs thought that your food didn’t have soul.‘
Kevin to Padma- ‘I think I cooked with the most soul I’ve ever shown’.

 

EXACTLY!!

[buttersister]

The thing that’s bumming me out after the best ep ever? The worst finale sous chefs ever.

[Tess23]

Can we talk about the porn music when Kevin was in Parma pork heaven? Tip of the hat to you, producers.

[Emkat]

Omg not Malarkey again! Go away!

I love Melissa and Stephanie.  I've been to one of Brian's restaurants and quite frankly...it wasn't good.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I haven't seen the episode yet, but YAY that Kevin is gone (are we triple sure there's definitely no more LCK left? 😅 ).

[Miss chi chi]

25 minutes ago, buttersister said:

The thing that’s bumming me out after the best ep ever? The worst finale sous chefs ever.

I was thinking the same thing. How great if the sous chefs were the winners of their seasons. Michael for Bryan (brothers), Mei for Melissa (besties) and Nicholas.....never mind.

But what about Michael for Bryan, Mei for Melissa and Kristen for Steph. All star finale for reals!!!!

[TexasTiffany]

I was so worried Brian was going home. He's usually the old school guy who cooks in a classic way. When still thinking it out, he told us he was going to make his own pasta and keep it simple with buttered pasta, pepper, prosciutto and parmesan. Somewhere along the way he lost his mind and changed it to an unappetizing foam. Why? He's in Old World Italy and decides to bust out a hipster foam. Wrong time to try something new (and ridiculous). 

I do think that Padma's recap of the judges "soul-less" critique really hurt Brian. He's the introvert. He takes everything to heart. I'm hoping that will spur him on to make great decisions and do his best in the finale.

After hearing the judges negatives I was preparing myself for Brian to be eliminated. I'm so glad it was Kevin's time to go. 

Stephanie's dishes in both rounds looked the most appealing to me. I would eat both of those first. I LOVED her use of the cabbage and prosciutto and parm with nuts. It looked perfect. One of the judges said it was like a lasagna. Stephanie rocks!

[LennieBriscoe]

Kevin added way too much P-R! 

Stephanie won the trip to Japan (eventually). Melissa has won three times in a row (per Padma). 

Conclusion: Voltaggio FTW.

Edited June 12, 2020 by LennieBriscoe

[IdEatThat]

I can’t imagine making pasta for Funke.  Did they know he was a judge this episode?  He was great and I hope we see him again.  He gave specific, useful feedback.

[LotusFlower]

1 hour ago, rlc said:

So freaking happy right now! Best final three ever. Especially glad that Kevin is gone after his little dig at Bryan at the judges’ table:

Paraphrasing Padma, ‘Bryan, the Italian chefs thought that your food didn’t have soul.‘
Kevin to Padma- ‘I think I cooked with the most soul I’ve ever shown’.

 

Noticed that!

Asshole thing to say.

[Quilt Fairy]

2 hours ago, LucindaWalsh said:

I loved her outfit. It must be Italy's beautiful influence because she looked the best she has ever looked all season. 

I loved Tom's inner 12 year old self having a stifle the giggles while squirming in his seat moment during Kevin's stupid sprinkle the cheese on the dishes act.

Gail's dress was gorgeous.  Total turnaround from last week's biker chick chic. 

I thought Tom looked uncomfortable among all the Michelin starred chefs. He was doing a "turtle trying to retreat into his shell" thing, more than once. 

[Vermicious Knid]

So happy Stephanie made it to the Finale. [Kermit] Yaaaayy!!

When the judges swooned over all four of Stephanie and Melissa's dishes and frowned at Kevin and Brian's I knew one of the men was going home. And they dissed all of them, the women clearly coming out ahead before they even went to Judges Table. Not sure with all the Italian Michelin starred chefs there why they needed to import another American as a guest judge though.

[Souris]

3 hours ago, rlc said:

So freaking happy right now! Best final three ever. Especially glad that Kevin is gone after his little dig at Bryan at the judges’ table:

Paraphrasing Padma, ‘Bryan, the Italian chefs thought that your food didn’t have soul.‘
Kevin to Padma- ‘I think I cooked with the most soul I’ve ever shown’.

That line made me recoil. What a crappy thing to say when his supposed friend is hurting over the soul critique. Glad he was the one PYKAG’d. I really felt bad for Bryan; what harsh feedback. You know that stung.

Still sad Gregory is gone.

I want Melissa to win. I want to be besties with Stephanie. So cool to see her come on so strong lately. She looks so shocked when she gets kudos. I hope this is boosting her confidence.

Damn, I am craving some fresh pasta after this ep!!

[biakbiak]

I wasn’t aware how much I had grown to dislike Kevin until I leaped off the couch when Padma eliminated him! I legit will be delighted by whoever wins.

I knew Melissa’s was probably going to be fine  but I was watching via zoom with a few friends and when they reviewed Stephanie’s first  dish we all let out a sigh of relief that she would at least be in the conversation. So pleased!!! 

I love that though they can be devastating, “he cooks without heart or soul”, the Italian judges  can also appreciate surprise I forget the exact quotes for Stephanie’s first dish but it was basically when she told us what she had done we were horrified but it was pleasantly surprising/enjoyable! 

Edited June 12, 2020 by biakbiak

[CoyoteBlue]

3 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

I do think that Padma's recap of the judges "soul-less" critique really hurt Brian.

"Watch this, Padma. You can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half!"

[Corgi-ears]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

As Kevin said at the dinner table to the Italian chef, "Gracias!"  I'm glad he's gone.

It was Bryan who said that.

[jette]

Echoing all the surprise and delight for Stephanie's triumph.

I always notice the opening order of the cheftestants with interest, even though it means nothing. Still, Stephanie is last and she's got such a smug little smile, I'm hoping she pulls out a win, especially since she's a personal chef amongst Chefs with a capital C who have restaurant(s).

[wlk68]

Wow! Last week it was edited to give the impression that Bryan was going to win the challenge and this week it was edited to make me think he was going home! Curse you, Edit Monkeys!

I could not believe the comments about Bryan's dishes. That was incredibly painful to watch. To be told by a table full of Michelin star chefs that your food is flat and lacks passion or soul is ... I can't think of anything more callous and cruel. Very hurtful. You could tell that Bryan was upset/rattled by it too. If it were me in his place, it would suck all of the joy out of the rest of the competition. I would probably be second guessing everything I did in the kitchen for the finale. We'll see if it impacts his performance next week or if he gathers himself and rises to the occasion. 

Stephanie and Melissa are on FIRE! Girl power! I feel like the title of Top Chef is Melissa's to lose. She will have to seriously fuck up to not win it all next week. How many QFs and ECs has she won at this point? I've lost track.  

ETA: It was Bryan who said gracias rather than grazie. Silly mistake but I've done the same. When I was in Mexico a couple of years ago, any time I couldn't think of the Spanish word for something my brain would automatically supply the French word. Got me more than a few confused looks. 🙂 

Edited June 12, 2020 by wlk68

[VintageJ]

When Padma first tasted Stephanie’s first dish and closed her eyes and said “Ummm,” I knew she made it to the finale.  Once she and Melissa’s first courses received rave reviews, I knew they both made it unless they really messed up.  I’m so happy! 

I’ve always loved Melissa so I’m thrilled.. I’ve always liked Stephanie but didn’t love her.  After this season, I LOVE Stephanie. I’m so happy for her.  You can tell that being in Italy really inspires her.  I have a feeling that wherever she’s always wanted to travel to but for whatever reason didn’t, she will now make it a point to go.  

Man, that criticism from the Italian judge of Bryan’s dish having no soul really shook him. I felt so bad for him.  The judge seemed like he was offended by the dish.  

All through the tours and dinner for the chefs, I just kept imagining Gregory being there.  I feel so bad for him.  

 

[BoffoDaWonderSheep]

I'm thinking Stephanie will be the upset winner. In a previous episode, they ran clips of the upcoming season and one was of Padma saying "YOU are the Top Chef!" She seemed surprised and delighted. Of course, I could be reading too much into it.

[Ohiopirate02]

I really loved the attitude Stephanie had in this episode.  She was so calm and seemed to be enjoying the moment, and I think that helped her cooking. She cooked what she wanted to eat instead of creating something to impress the judges.  Her second dish was so simple.  I will always prefer a simple dish done well over an more ambitious dish.  Cabbage cooked with a salty, fatty meat is so tasty yet unassuming.  

[wlk68]

1 minute ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I really loved the attitude Stephanie had in this episode.  She was so calm and seemed to be enjoying the moment, and I think that helped her cooking. She cooked what she wanted to eat instead of creating something to impress the judges.  Her second dish was so simple.  I will always prefer a simple dish done well over an more ambitious dish.  Cabbage cooked with a salty, fatty meat is so tasty yet unassuming.  

Agreed. I love a good corned beef and cabbage dinner. When I saw her inserting slices of Prosciutto into the cabbage I thought "wow, cool!". I would very much like to taste that. 

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, wlk68 said:

It was Bryan who said gracias rather than grazie. Silly mistake but I've done the same.

Right, and so have I.  But as Brian mentioned several times, he is a proud Italian-American chef competing in a cooking competition in Italy.  To not have the intellectual curiosity to learn Italian (like Padma) is reflective of his workmanlike attitude and his lack of soul and passion.

[biakbiak]

20 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

o not have the intellectual curiosity to learn Italian (like Padma) is reflective of his workmanlike attitude and his lack of soul and passion.

Or lack of opportunity. None of the chefs were fluent in Italian and Kevin was the one who proudly claimed he had been there several times.

[questionfear]

I loved Stephanie and Melissa in their seasons, and I like Bryan Volt better than his brother...so I'm thrilled with this F3. While BVolt is my 3rd choice, I still think he's a good guy and a good chef, and assuming there's no finale shenanigans I feel like this is has been one of the better Top Chef seasons. Not too many weird challenges, lots of focus on the skills of the chefs, and very little drama aside from Kevin's ability to stick his foot in his mouth, out his butt, and back into his mouth again. 

[SweetSable]

17 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

39 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

o not have the intellectual curiosity to learn Italian (like Padma) is reflective of his workmanlike attitude and his lack of soul and passion.

Or lack of opportunity. None of the chefs were fluent in Italian and Kevin was the one who proudly claimed he had been there several times.

In addition, it could also be that he's just not good at learning foreign languages.  

I wish I could be as calm and chill as Melissa is when she's under pressure.  She's got such a great demeanor.

I'm really looking forward to the finale and will be happy with any of the 3 winning - that'll make it much more enjoyable to watch.  Except I really wish Leeanne and Malarkey weren't coming back as sous chefs - they're both very tiring.

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I couldn't believe that Kevin put so much Parm on his dish that Tom C. was giving him the look of death.     I can't believe he over-salted his dish so much that the chefs complained.    The look on Tom C.'s face when Kevin was doing his "Olive Garden" imitation was hysterical.   

To not feature the main ingredient in the second dish was the reason he went home, for ignoring the rules of the challenge, as he always did.  I did have to laugh at Tom's reaction to Kevin's piling the cheese on the dishes.   This time Tom and the others couldn't ignore the local chefs, and their criticism of Kevin's dish.  

Even if there was a long time between the remark to Bryan about not cooking with soul, and Kevin's cooking "soulfully", it was still a nasty crack.  

Edited June 14, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[absolutelyido]

2 hours ago, wlk68 said:

ETA: It was Bryan who said gracias rather than grazie. Silly mistake but I've done the same. When I was in Mexico a couple of years ago, any time I couldn't think of the Spanish word for something my brain would automatically supply the French word. Got me more than a few confused looks. 🙂 

I had the opposite problem in Paris. Whenever I tried to say a simple French word like 'merci' all that came out was my high school Spanish. Embarassingly, I said gracias more than once.

[seltzer3]

Still liked Kevin, felt like he got a bad rap here.  I felt like he just essentially fell into the unfortunate reality tv role of (we don't really have any villains, so we are going to latch on to the one that is closest to).  I do think his time was here was done.  It just looked like he just ignored his ingredients and just kind of made his own dishes.

If you told me that Steph would make it to the finals, when she was serving Padma that Indian Nacho, I would not have believed you.

So impressed with Steph's dishes.  The cabbage one reminded me of this.

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by seltzer3

[dleighg]

12 hours ago, ProudMary said:

I thought it was ironic that Gail and Tom berated both Kevin and Bryan for not crisping the prosciutto, when they were both following the advice of the prosciutto master, who told them, "Never cook!"

After that absolute prohibition-- Stephanie cooked it in BOTH her dishes, and they loved them!

[meep.meep]

Why was Padma wearing a muppet?

Stephanie's cabbage dish was the star of the show.  I hope she publishes the recipe somewhere. I'd love to make it.

[oldCJ]

12 hours ago, hula-la said:

Gail’s dress reminded me of the peacock outside. 

10 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Gail's dress was gorgeous.  Total turnaround from last week's biker chick chic. 

The fabric was almost identical to my eighty-year old auntie’s favorite shirt! She wears it to every family gathering. 😂

[jalady]

Goodbye and good riddance, Kevin!  Wasn't fond of him in his first season and he cemented my dislike this year.  Go Bryan!  I've been rooting for him since his first season and still think he was robbed when his brother got the win (I can't even watch reruns of that final episode because it makes me so mad to count who won each course before they give the win to Michael!)  And I've eaten at several of his restaurants AND met him and he's a great chef and a nice guy.  I took my goddaughter to Volt when she was in high school and he was in the kitchen.  I asked the waitress if she (my goddaughter) could get a picture with him and he invited us both into the kitchen to take a picture.  By the time we got back to her house she'd posted it on Facebook and her friends wanted to know "how did that happen??!!".  Her response was basically that her godmother was a nut and asked to take a picture with the chef, LOL.

Melissa and Stephanie are fine.  I don't love them or hate them and they're clearly very talented chefs so I won't be upset if they win.  But - GO BRYAN!!!!