“Top Chef”: Buddha Lo Recaps the ‘Meal of Your Life’ in Season Finale from Milan

Buddha Lo is a two-time Top Chef winner, executive cook at Hūso in New York City, and a Saratoga Spring Water brand ambassador. He shared his thoughts aft the premiere and again for nan last section of Top Chef season 22, group successful Canada, offering a unsocial position arsenic a erstwhile cheftestant.

Warning: This article contains spoilers.

Here we are: The finale is yet upon america successful Milan, and Top Chef play 22 is coming to a close. It’s been an unthinkable season, and now it each comes down to 1 last challenge: nan repast of your life.

We’ve sewage our 3 finalists: Bailey, nan Last Chance Kitchen champion; Shuai, known for his bold, “trashy-fancy” style; and Tristen, whose Afro-Caribbean cuisine has brought powerful taste storytelling to each plate. For nan first clip each season, nan chefs are successful complete power of their menus. This is their changeable to show america precisely who they are: nary constraints, nary curveballs.

To me, nan hardest portion of nan finale isn’t cooking nan food. It’s deciding which 4 dishes genuinely specify you arsenic a cook and which ones conscionable mightiness triumph you Top Chef and nan $250,000 prize, courtesy of Saratoga Spring Water, the charismatic h2o of Top Chef.

The opening changeable of nan section nods to Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper — a fitting ocular metaphor for what lies ahead. The chefs are cooking a erstwhile successful a life repast for a array of culinary icons. This is 1 of nan astir important services of their lives.

As I said during my first season, cooking nan repast of your life is incredibly hard, particularly erstwhile you’re still growing. These dishes aren’t conscionable astir aspiration they bespeak wherever each cook is correct now successful their career.

Each cook chose their sous cook up of arriving successful Italy. Tristen picked Zubair. Shuai chose Paula. Bailey brought Lana. Choosing nan correct sous cook isn’t astir nan earthy talent, it's astir trust. You request personification who gets your vision, follows your lead, and helps you execute pinch precision. Sometimes that intends picking personification who’s not nan champion method cook, but who fits your process perfectly.

The finale took spot astatine Carlo Cracco’s edifice successful Milan 1 of nan finest kitchens successful Italy. Cooking location for a sheet of culinary royalty, including impermanent judge Clare Smyth, is some an grant and a test. Each finalist leaned into their signature style. Tristen delivered a modern Afro-Caribbean menu. Shuai showcased refined Chinese techniques. Bailey presented a quirky, artisanal paper inspired by her mentors and culinary journey.

What stood retired was really individual each paper felt. Every crockery told a story. Every prime was intentional. The chefs besides had entree to bonzer section ingredients from Milan’s market, a dream for immoderate cook. 

Before nan large navigator nan adjacent day, nan chefs shared a repast prepared by nan judges Kristen’s achromatic truffle tortellini, Gail’s crostata, and Tom’s porchetta. It’s ever a typical infinitesimal successful nan title to beryllium capable to yet beryllium down pinch nan judges and yet talk to them. I still retrieve Gail’s beautiful fig barroom successful Tucson, flipped upside-down by Tom and Eric Ripert successful a caramel-filled infinitesimal of chaos. Unforgettable.

Final Meal Breakdown

 First Course:

Tristen opened pinch monkfish. Some judges thought it was undercooked, but he aimed for mean to medium-rare a stylistic choice, not a mistake. Bailey came retired beardown pinch a beautifully composed, balanced sheet of nutrient also. Shuai’s reddish shrimp pani puri was tasty but lacked nan aforesaid punch. Bailey took this round, pinch Tristen adjacent behind. Some uncertainty astir nan food held him backmost from taking nan lead.

 Second Course:

Tristen delivered a standout dish: chickenhearted pinch shrimp toast — bold, thoughtful, and unmistakably his. Shuai’s soup-dumpling pasta fell flat. The thought was great, but nan method didn’t translate. Tristen won this information decisively. Bailey delivered an astonishing 2nd people of pasta filled pinch porcini and pecans. At this point, Shuai needed 2 cleanable courses — and for nan others to gaffe — to enactment successful nan running. That’s a difficult spot to travel backmost from.

 Third Course:

Tristen delivered different guidelines retired crockery pinch oxtail and Carolina golden rice, inspired by osso buco. Carlo Cracco was floored. That’s nan benignant of guidance you dream of successful a finale. Bailey made a awesome misstep by letting Lana navigator nan food it came retired overcooked. In nan finale, you ne'er manus disconnected your proteins to nan sous chef. The macromolecule is nan main constituent of nan crockery and what you’re heavy judged on, but Tristen had nan clear edge — much flavor, much finesse, much emotion successful this round.

Dessert Course:

Shuai bounced backmost pinch a dessert nan judges loved, It was his first unanimous triumph of nan night. Tristen served a guidelines rootlike dessert inspired by carrot cake. It was daring and polarizing. Some judges admired nan creativity. Others weren’t rather sold. Bailey’s dessert was warmly received and brought her repast to a comforting, heartfelt finish.

The Verdict:

This was a adjacent finale. Each cook had large moments and stumbles — undercooked fish, overcooked fish, method swings that didn’t land. But they besides showed america who they are, wherever they travel from, and wherever they’re headed. In nan end, nan cook who stood retired successful flavor, creativity, and consistency roseate to nan top.

The victor of Top Chef season 22 is … Tristen.

Tristen was bonzer each season. He brought vision, skill, and emotion to each dish. He stayed cool nether unit and ne'er wavered from his identity. In a play packed pinch talent, Tristen stood retired by being bold, prepared, and wholly existent to himself. He proved that nary cuisine is excessively far, nary situation excessively difficult, and nary infinitesimal excessively big.

A cook who leaves an imprint each play agelong is ever my favourite to win. That’s what makes a existent Top Chef. As personification who mislaid their begetter earlier doing Top Chef and knowing nan occurrence that tin ignite personification going into this title is unattainable. 

Here’s to different unforgettable play of Top Chef. From Canada to Milan, it’s been a travel filled pinch creativity, intensity, and immoderate of nan astir breathtaking nutrient this show has ever seen.

 Until adjacent time, from your Top Chef play 19 & 20 winner.