Tournament of Champions review: And the winner is….

Four chefs entered the kitchen wanting to be crowned the Tournament of Champions winner. Which chef earned the coveted Food Network title?

With two wins,  a Tournament of Champions winner would be crowned. The semi-finals battles had a scenario that many did not predict, but it was history making. Four female chefs entered the kitchen and one would be crowned this Food Network champion. While there might have been upsets, the victories earned each of these chefs their place as the top four. But, who was crowned champion?

Before getting to the results, there is something to be said about the final four chefs being all women. The competition consisted of 10 men and six women. To say that the women owned this competition is an understatement. This Food Network competition definitely was a statement for women chefs.

If you haven’t watched the Tournament of Champions finale, warning, there are spoilers ahead.

For the first semi-final battle, Antonia Lofaso took on Brooke Williamson. The randomizer was especially cruel to these two chefs. The required items were squab, sunchokes, ice cream maker, smooth and crunchy, with just 50 minutes to cook.

Anyone who watches cooking competitions knows that the ice cream maker is the cruelest equipment. Who doesn’t remember how an ice cream maker has sent home many Iron Chef contenders. To use this piece of equipment is just mean. Antonia never should have said those words out loud.

Even though both chefs’ dishes were very different, there were some similarities. Each dish had layers of flavors and textures. Each bite lead to a new discovery. Each chef showed that she can definitely bring it in the kitchen.

Antonia’s dish was a tempura fried squab with a kale, sunchoke salad and a buttermilk sauce. The judges described this dish as delicious, fun and clever. The dish was well balanced and hit all the notes.

There was one negative comment about the squab being slightly undercooked. Still, it had double crunch, bold flavors and richness. It was a success.

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Brooke’s dish had a different approach. Her dish was described as elegant. From the perfectly cooked squab to the sunchoke chips, the judges were quite impressed. While the ice cream might not be perfect fit, it complements the dish. The dish was understated and elegant.

In the end, the best of the West was Brooke. Another close battle, but Brooke earned the win 92 to 89. Would Brooke be crowned the Tournament of Champions winner?

For the battle of the East, Amanda Freitag took on Maneet Chauhan in another fierce competition. In this battle, the randomizer was not quite as cruel. Luckily, the ice cream machine did not make another appearance.

The chefs had to create a dish with goat, lotus root, using the spiralizer, featuring dry rubbed and glazed, all in 45 minutes. The idea of cooking goat in just 45 minutes is daunting. Luckily, there was ground goat at the chefs’ disposal.

Maneet made a Korean inspired goat burger with persimmon glaze and lotus root chips. Maneet’s dish was both vibrant in color and flavor. The judges adored her lotus root chips.

The biggest criticism was the burger was a little big and it fell apart. Still, a burger should be finger licking good and it was.

Amanda went with meatballs. The glazed goat meatballs over zoodles with a lotus root chip garnish came together nicely. The dish had a great contrast of flavors and textures.

Her biggest strength was that she used the spiralizer for zoodles. That idea really pushed her ahead.

With a score of 87 to 85, Amanda took down Maneet. She earned the spot of the best East Coast chef and set up the final against Brooke.

Looking at the final battle, it will be quite close. Throughout the competition, these two chefs had really pushed flavors, textures and creativity.

In the last battle to determine the Tournament of Champions winner, Brooke and Amanda had to incorporate whole duck, kohlrabi, a turning slicer and breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yes, for the final battle, the chefs had to make three dishes, which use all of required elements.

Three dishes in 60 minutes is cruel. After Brooke dealt with the ice cream maker, no one could have guessed that it could get any worse. That randomizer is the equalizer in this competition.

Amanda took the judges on a journey. Her breakfast was a perfectly prepared omelet with duck cracklings. The omelet had lots of flavors and the duck fat fried potatoes were tasty.

For her lunch, she presented a duck Cuban sandwich. The duck is a great choice for this sandwich. With a side of pickled kohlrabi, the flavors were lovely complements.

The dinner was a duck breast with pine nut sauce. The duck was well cooked, but the dish needed an additional ingredient to soften the flavors a little.

Brooke was ready to battle. For her breakfast, she made a duck egg in the hole with apple and kohlrabi. The dish had layers of flavor. With hot, bitter and rich, the dish hit all the notes.

For her lunch dish, Brooke went lighter. The salad was fresh and bright. The fried duck crackling was nice but duck was a little chewy.

The last dish was a perfectly cooked duck breast. Served over a lush pureed and topped with slaw, the dish had deep layers of flavors and textures. It was a masterful dish.

Throughout this competition, there have been busted brackets, upsets and unpredictable outcomes. To determine the Tournament of Champions winner, only one point separated the two chefs.

The first Tournament of Champions winner is Brooke. Congrats and well deserved.

Based on the comments at the end of the show, Food Network fans should expect this show to return next year. Will Brooke retain her title and the Championship belt? Only time will tell.

Did you agree with the Tournament of Champions winner? What chefs would you like to see in Tournament of Champions take 2?