With Restaurant Wars in the rearview mirror, Tom and Kevin digest the smoked fish and thali challenges of this week's episode and interview Top Chef producer Thi Nguyen. As one of the brains behind the show, Nguyen shares what it's like to work on Top Chef over the years and why they call her the "police" of the competition. She debunks some myths and pulls back the curtain on the impact of Queen Elizabeth's passing on the production.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S20 Ep 10: Thali Time with Thi Nguyen

Kevin Arnovitz and Tom Haberstroh bring their die-hard fanaticism of the hit TV show Top Chef and combine it with their NBA analytical instincts to draft “fantasy” teams, interview contestants and talk about America’s food and restaurant trends. Follow along weekly as the top cooking competition meets top-shelf analysis.

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From the very outset of Season 21, Michelle Wallace distinguished herself as one of the most authentic chefs to grace the Top Chef kitchen. Not only does she bake the best biscuits in the business, she can execute an elevated homey dish of stuffed lobster pasta with charred corn sauce and crispy chorizo. Two Elimination wins. An additional four top finishes. (The only thing Michelle can’t abide is “chaos cooking”). Michelle stops by to chat about her Top Chef journey, what is and isn’t a sandwich, St. Louis’ greatest BBQ delicacy (pig snoot), the funniest Season 21 contestant, the secret to the perfect biscuit, and the wizardry of Ozzie Smith.  

Michelle Wallace Interview - Free Preview

The five remaining cheftestants compete for only four tickets on a cruise ship to Curacao for the Season 21 finale in an elimination challenge that asks the to prepare a plate that express their maturation as chefs during their time in Wisconsin. But first, it’s the beloved Blind Taste Test Quickfire, with one of the chefs blowing away the competition (is daily tongue-scraping the secret weapon?). Finally, we have a blockbuster late-season trade between Team Tom and Team Kevin! Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/ Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or Spotify Follow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknives COUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S21 Ep 12: Goodbye Wisconsin

Tom Colicchio does work in the Top Chef kitchen, where the wok is king in the Quickfire challenge. Coming off her Last Chance Kitchen run, Laura re-enters the main competition and makes dessert for an elimination challenge that demands imagination. Tom H. feels that desserts are a market inefficiency that more cheftestants should opt for. Kevin shares how You Can Count on Me explains Michelle’s allergy to blue-sky Top Chef challenges without specific parameters.  Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/ Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or Spotify Follow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknives COUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S21 Ep 11: Lay It All on the Table

With her sharp analysis, Mina Kimes can break down any NFL pass coverages or team-building strategy — and Top Chef field. She joins Tom and Kevin to discuss how Season 21 stands up to previous Top Chef seasons, to grouse about Soo’s controversial elimination at the fish boil, and to size up the remaining six contestants in the competition.  

Mina Kimes Interview - Free Preview

No chef has built confidence and momentum in recent weeks like Savannah Miller. She bagged a Quickfire win with canned corn beef (!), only to slice her hand open while filleting her fish for the Fish Boil. Though it looked like she prepared the worst of the six plates, she was spared elimination. Kevin was on hand in Milwaukee for the Fish Boil, and tasted three of the six fish boil dishes. He shares his impressions of the production, Soo’s beurre blanc, and Miguel’s winning boil. Tom argues that, even with the new “Quickfire factor” at the chopping block, the judges didn’t make the right call. Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/ Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or Spotify Follow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknives COUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S20 Ep 10: Thali Time with Thi Nguyen

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