As we prepare our collective
gullets for the showdown of "Top
Chef's" Season Three, it is important
we obsessed foodies take time to
acknowledge one particularly savory
morsel of universal truth: the more
things change, the more they stay
the same.
It has been a deliciously entertaining
ride since June's first episode,
but outlasting all the memorable
"cheftestants" are Hung Huynh,
Casey Thompson and Dale Levitski,
Season Three's finalists who in terms
of personality profile and culinary
aptitude are strangely reminiscent
of Season Two top finishers Marcel
Vigneron, Elia Aboumrad and Ilan
Hall, respectively.
For the first time in three seasons
of the juicy reality juggernaut, the winner
will not be from New York. For
the second time, the top trio consists
of two men and one woman. And for
the second year in a row, competing
for the ultimate prize is an impish,
disliked technical maestro, a friendly
but feisty feminist and a chef with an
infectious, offbeat Italian passion.
It seems only natural to begin
the discussion of Top Chef Miami
with Hung, he of the laser-like focus
who possesses arguably the most
legitimate shot at winning this year's
title.
Hung is indeed the only cook
among the finalists who has received
any formal culinary education, and
his technical proficiency, as head
judge Tom Colicchio put it, "is in a
league by itself."
Even Hung's colleagues, who have
disapproved of his overall kitchen
etiquette since the beginning, extol
the superb knife skills that have carried
many of his dishes from aboveaverage
to spectacular.
"He should definitely win the
show. He has the most consistent
performances," Rebecca Harrington
'11 said, referring to the Vietnamese
specialist's win tally of four Quickfires
and one Elimination Challenge. "He
has the most talent and creativity. It's
pretty clear he wants it the most."
While no one would question
Hung's artistry -- a certain topographically
complex "Smurf Village"
dish comes to mind -- his major
problem has really been defending
the "heart" of his food, which
interestingly enough is an issue with
which gastro-chemist Marcel also
grappled. A restrained, logical dish
with on-point flavors is impressive,
the judges say, but at risk of soullessness.
At least in Hung's favor is
his lack of dependence upon a single
technique, a la Marcellian foams, as
well as his status as the sole contestant
to have won the same episode's
Quickfire Challenge and Elimination
Challenge.
But emerging as the main threat to
Hung has been the beguiling Casey,
who after a run-of-the-peppermill start
has made a declarative push to the
finale by capturing some fashion of
a victory in three of the four weeks
since Restaurant Wars. The winners
of Seasons One and Two both won
the first Elimination Challenge; but
since Tre is now long gone, it must
be noted that Casey was the first of
the three remaining chefs to win the
big one.
"Casey is a surprise in the rough
because she's supposedly not classically
trained," Kristin McGhee '09
said. "Yet she keeps winning."
Truth be told, Casey has won a
whopping three Quickfires and three
Elimination Challenges, a total that
doubles the top performance of any
woman of any season and ties the record
set by last year's Sam Talbot. The
most crucial of Casey's myriad wins
occurred last week in the season's
penultimate episode, while as others
struggled to prepare something edible
in the Aspen wilderness, Casey
wowed guest judge Eric Ripert with
a cleanly prepared trout filet. Her
first Quickfire triumph in almost two
months had great timing, as it made
her the only finalist with access to
the personal pantry brought from
home.
"It's obvious that Top Chef's female
contestants have never done as well
as their male counterparts, which is
truthfully reflected in the culinary
industry," Emily Carian '11 said. "I'm
happiest to see Casey in the finale." Ignoring
her apparent inability to chop
onions under duress, it is evident that
Casey is the first female finalist with
a believable chance to win it all.
Rounding out the golden three is
this season's quirky dark horse, the
cowboy-lovin' Dale Levitski, who will
probably be crowned the fan favorite
after admitting that Top Chef has
inspired him to beat recent personal
tragedies and rediscover his love
for food. Winner of one Elimination
Challenge and two Quickfires, Dale
is comparatively the least impressive
chef heading into the championship
round. It seems like, as Harrington
noted, that "at least half of his success
comes from luck." But like last year's
Ilan, Dale has almost never appeared
on the chopping block. Also the only
finalist in his 30s Dale appears far
more resourceful under pressure
than Hung or Casey -- last week he
abandoned two failing plans en route
to a surprising victory. His greatest
strength may be, as McGhee said,
that "he knows when to pull out all
the stops."
"I'd really like Dale to win," Carian
said. "I think that he has the most
spirit despite his seemingly lacking
culinary point of view." After all, it
must mean something that so many
of the ousted chefs said he was among
the contestants to beat in their exit
videos.
There is a strange sense of
full-circleness, even an enjoyable
predictability, that is gained from
the recurring elements constituting
the Top Chef finalists from season to
season. The recipe for a contestant's
success -- book knowledge, great
instincts and a bit of good fortune
-- will never change.
