TOP CHEF Series

We enjoyed watching the three seasons of TOP CHEF – a competition among chefs. During the Christmas break, we completed the Season 4 series. This is an enjoyable and entertaining show of 15 episodes. The first episode starts with 16 chefs who compete to become the Top Chef in the final episode. For each episode, the chefs compete in two challenges. The “quickfire challenge” is a a very short challenge which takes from 15 min to at most 1 hour to complete – like preparing a dessert, cooking in a restaurant, etc – the winner of the challenge usually is given immunity from being eliminated in the elimination challenge. In the elimination challenge, the chefs compete individually or in groups – carrying out the specific challenge of the episode – like catering for a wedding reception, restaurant wars, preparing a dish based on a theme, etc. The show is very informative as it showcases the various tasks a chef has to know – from butchering a pig, cleaning a fish, cutting and peeling vegetables, cooking the dish and designing a restaurant. It’s appetizing to watch the colorful and juicy dishes that the chefs prepare. It’s interesting to see the innovations in preparing and cooking different types of dishes – western to Asian. There was one chef, who we believe has a Filipino background, who prepared a “halo-halo” dessert. The interaction, intrigues and relationship developed among the competing chefs keep the audience hooked and cheer for their favorite chef. There is a season 5 and we are looking forward to watching it also.