Compliments to the Chef
Join hosts Bits and Nancy as they unpack every episode of Top Chef. Follow along each week as they discuss the cheftestants, their dishes and, most importantly, Tom Colicchio's hats. Your friendly Top Chef companion podcast will bring you all the Monday morning quarterback commentary you've always wanted to share along with guests from the food industry and beyond to prolong your enjoyment of the most elite cooking competition on TV.
Going Full Puff (Pastry Week)
            
            
        Chill your butter because it's pastry week in the Bakeoff tent! The Great British Bakeoff returns with a delightfully British pastry week, full of lamination and esoteric bakes. You don't want to miss the sculpted tarts and sausage roll creations!
Loose Mousse (Chocolate Week)
            
            
        Let's get WONKED in the tent with delicious chocolate treats. There are volcanoes exploding with chocolate, pianos filled with chocolate and nymph grottos oozing with chocolate. You don't want to miss this great british bake of episode recap!
HOOK A DUCK à L’ORANGE (Back to School Week)
            
            
        Sharpen your number 2 pencils and sit at your desks because we're back to school in the tent! Great British Bake Off is making nostalgic treats that are sure to bring you back to your school days.
Monkeying Around (Bread Week)
            
            
        It's the most highly anticipated week of the season, bread week! Activate your yeast because it's time to step into Paul Hollywood's thunderdome and challenges. The bakers take on bread in all it's forms and the gals take on the history of Jumbo Kingdom.
Bob Loblaw's Hobnob (Biscuit Week)
            
            
        You gotta risk it for the biscuit and these bakers are putting it all on the line! Tune in for our punny coverage of the cookie extravaganza
Jurassic Bakes (Cake Week)
            
            
        We are back in the Great British Bake Off tent and we're ready for some delectably fondant fancy treats! Join us for our coverage across the pond, where we discuss Week 1 of everyone's favorite wind down television. Ready, set, bake!
Dinner Party (The Office) - w/ The LA Food Podcast
            
            
        We're ending our summer blockbuster series with perhas the most iconic 22 minutes of television in this century. Behold: The Dinner Party. From the brilliant minds of The Office comes an absolute calamity of coworkers socializing outside work. We breakdown this episode (and lots more), with our best pals at the LA Food Podcast. Tune in!
Big Night - w/ Katherine Lewin
            
            
        Put on your dinner jacket, hop in your Cadillac and join us for a Big Night. Joined by Founder and CEO of Big Night (the store) in NYC, we unpack this cinematic classic. From the timpano to the risotto to the surprise sucking pig, we get into the details and have a laugh doing it.
Katherine Lewin is the founder of Big Night, a one‑stop shop for dinner‑party and hosting essentials in Greenpoint and the West Village. She is also the author of Big Night: Dinner, Parties & Dinner Parties.
Instagram @kklewin
Big...
The Taste of Things - w/ Kendra Vaculin
            
            
        This week we review The Taste of Things with Kendra Vaculin. Get ready for the Nancy Meyers kitchen of the french countryside and a delicious feast for the eyes!
The Lovely Gail Simmons
            
            
        Today is a momentous day for the pod. Compliments to the Chef is honored to present our interview with the beating heart of Top Chef, the one, the only, the lovely Gail Simmons. This interview gets to the soul of what makes Top Chef the greatest cooking competition to ever do it. You absolutely do not want to miss this interview with the woman who has been there since day one.
Chef - w/ Jessie Evans
            
            
        This week we are joined by Jessie Evans (@jessie_eats) to discuss the feel good, 2014-coded movie "Chef." Tune in for a fun conversation about the early days of social media, whom we'd cast as our love interests and the worst thing you can put caviar on.
Ratatouille - w/ J Lee
            
            
        Wash your hands and grab your rodents! The most highly anticipated food movie of the summer blockbuster series is HERE. Ratatouille is the pinnacle of food cinema, and there is no better person to unpack it than J Lee, Critic at Large @ Feed Me and Food Editor of Interview Magazine. Summer is hot, but J's takes on this cult classic film are even HOTTER! You don't want to miss this one.
Julie & Julia
            
            
        It's time to discover the art of french cooking all over again! Tune into this discussion of three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep and her iconic performance as Julia Child in post-war france. We may also discuss Julie from time to time.
Mystic Pizza
            
            
        It's summer and we're ready to kick back with some famous movies all about food! For our first recap, we're going into the archives and bringing out the movie that started it all. Grab a slice and and your shoulder pads, because it's time to head to Rhode Island to watch MYSTIC PIZZA!
Second Helping Week 14 - w/ Season 22 WINNER!
            
            
        Top Chef Season 22 Winner Tristen Epps-Long joins the pod for a well-earned victory lap! Tune in to this post-finale catch up with the newest member of the Top Chef winner's circle.
The Last Supper (S22E14, Finale)
            
            
        It's time to say Ciao to Top Chef Season 22 with the most epic season finale. Bailey, Shuai and Tristen deliver the meal of their lives, which just so happens to be the best finale anyone has ever seen on Top Chef. Tom is overcome with excitement, Kristen is overcome with emotion and Gail is overcome with Canadian pride. Tune into our last coverage of Season 22, it's not goodbye, it's arrivederci!
Bonus Interview - Bailey Sullivan, Shuai Wang, Tristen Epps
            
            
        Happy Top Chef finale day to those who celebrate!!! We have all three finalists on the pod today for a quick pregame for tonight's episode. Tune in to hear Bailey, Tristen and Shuai talk about their headspace going into the last cook of the season.
Going for Gold (S22E13)
            
            
        Top Chef has arrived in Italy and Tom is giddy with excitement! We have the first ever diabolical risotto challenge and, in true NBC fashion, Olympians! Tune in to hear our coverage of the elite athletic event of the season as the chefs go through a three-round Italian live showdown.
Second Helping Week 12 w/ - Lana Lagomarsini
            
            
        Top Chef season 22 semi-finalist Lana Lagomarsini is with us today on the pod! This is a long awaited interview as out number one instagram DM pen pal goes from internet acquaintance to IRL friend! Lana has an incredible story and spills tons of info about what it was like to be on Top Chef, her journey to the show and what she's up to now. You don't want to miss this episode!
Find Lana on instagram @lana_cooks
Earth, Ants & Fire (S22E12)
            
            
        We bid au revoir to Canada in this episode of Top Chef, with the contestants battling to see who will advance to the finale in Milan. With nothing but the land to provide their pantry, the chefs go foraging for their ingredients to honor the bounty of the Canadian wilderness. Tune into this deeply emotional episode and see the chefs compete at the highest caliber!
Second Helping Week 11 - w/ Vincenzo Loseto
            
            
        We've got apple bowl in the building!!!! OMG Vincenzo Loseto joins us on the pod to discuss his epic run on Top Chef, what he's up to and his plans for the future. You don't want to miss this interview!
Where's the Beef? (S22E11)
            
            
        It's the Top Chef semifinals and we're in Calgary! From the pancake breakfast to fine dining beef, this episode shows us the best of what Alberta has to offer. Don't be a silly GOOSEberry, and tune into our coverage of Season 22 Episode 11!
'Tis the Season (S22E10)
            
            
        Winter, spring, summer or fall in the Top Chef kitchen! Join us for a trip around the sun with a challenge that celebrates the four seasons of...Canada. The chefs pull out all the stops to impress a panel of Montreal's greatest chefs and we get a sweater weather joke in front of a real-live SNL cast member. Can we get an AMEN for episode 10?!
Second Helping Week 9 - w/ LA Food Podcast
            
            
        It's the Top Chef LCK finale!! Katianna vs Cesar, who will win? And the gals join the guys from the LA Food Podcast to catch up on our fantasy draft and give a mid season rundown.
Mussel Impossible (S22E9)
            
            
        This episode of Top Chef has everything: stunts, drama, heights and MUSSELS!!! The chefs are put to the test in a gravity-defying, nerve-wracking, nail-biter of a challenge to honor the release of Mission Impossible. Two-time winner Buddha Lo returns to to judge the food and gets into the spirit of the challenge. Tune into our coverage of Top Chef Season 22 Episode 9!
Bonus Interview - Kim Clarke
            
            
        The winner of Great American Baking Show joins us on the pod to discuss her time in the tent, her passion for baking and, of course, what moisturizing Paul Hollywood uses.
You can find Kim on Instagram at:
@ya_moms_in_the_kitchen
Stream Season 3 of The Great American Baking Show NOW on The Roku Channel for FREE Stream The Roku Channel for FREE on Roku devices and TVs, as well as online at TheRokuChannel.com, through the Roku Mobile app, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TVs, and Google TV...
Second Helping Week 8 - w/ Henry Lu!
            
            
        Season 22 contestant Henry Lu joins the pod this week to discuss his time in the Top Chef Kitchen. Tune into this fun interview!
Restaurant Wars (S22E8)
            
            
        It's the Top Chef night we've all been waiting for! Restaurant wars is here and our chefs are ready to head into battle. Restaurant wars wouldn't be complete without rushed prep time, untrained staff and hideous logos, and this episode has it ALL. Don't miss our coverage of the event of the season.
Second Helping Week 7 - w/ Corwin Hemming
            
            
        This interview with Top Chef Season 22 contestant Corwin Hemming is a blast! Learn about how he found his way into the Top Chef kitchen and what he's doing on the other side. This is an inspirational conversation for anyone feeling like they're in a rut or need to take on a new challenge.
That's Amore (S22E7)
            
            
        When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's...Top Chef episode 7! Tune in for a recap of the highest quality pizza party you have EVER been to. The chefs begin with a Finish dish detergent challenge and end with a slice of pie...pizza pie. It's a fabulous episode this week so tune in!
Second Helping Week 6 - w/ Doneen Arquines
            
            
        The gals have reached the pinnacle of Top Chef because with us this week is Executive Producer and Show runner Doneen Arquines! This is a fascinating BTS interview with the woman who has been there since day one. You absolutely do not want to miss this episode.
Bonus Interview - Zubair Mohajir!
            
            
        Zubair joins the gals to yap about his time on Top Chef an beyond. We learn about the origins of his famed chicken sandwich, and how he's using his platform to make great food and have even better conversations. Tune into this fabulous interview with a player who was gone too soon from Season 22.
You can find Zubair on instagram: @zubairmohajir
Originally from Chennai, India, Chef Zubair Mohajir was a former financial analyst and began his career in the culinary field after getting laid off during the 2008 financial crisis. Starting as...
Mise en Trash (S22E6)
            
            
        Week 6 is a wild one on Top Chef! The chefs work on a Chipotle-sponsored quickfire and then drama boils over in the elimination challenge, when one chef finds himself in a picked when all of his prep work thrown into the trash, literally. Tune in for coverage of another exciting week of Top Chef Destination Canada!
Bonus Interview - Kat Turner!
            
            
        We have the current reigning champ of Last Chance Kitchen on the pod with us, Kat Turner! Her time on Top Chef was cut short by a brutal double elimination, but she is a true renaissance woman who continues to reinvent herself, so this is hardly the last we'll see of Kat. Tune into this great episode to hear about her experience in life, on the show, and stay tuned until the VERY end to hear an epic Anthony Bourdain anecdote.
Second Helping Week 5 - w/ Sara Bradley
            
            
        Today, the road to Paducah is here because Bits and Nancy are manifesting their number one goal of interviewing two-time Top Chef finalist, Chopped Legends champion, James Beard Award finalist SARA BRADLEY!!!!!!!!!! This is a life goal interview and we're just happy to be here.
Chefs on the Line (S22E5)
            
            
        Week 5 of Top Chef Season 22 and we finally get a large format challenge in the elements!!! This is the type of Top Chef we like to see, with the chefs managing hundreds of diners and tiny plates. The contestants go into the kitchens of 6 different restaurants in Toronto to highlight some of the different popular cuisines in Canada. We go on a journey of flavors, friendship and fun!
Second Helping Week 4
            
            
        We've got an incredibly silly second help this week for Top Chef episode 4. Tune in for some lazy sunday antic and tons of lols
Scott Pilgrim vs. Top Chef (S22E4)
            
            
        Bits is back and so is Top Chef episode 4! We have a star studded episode, with some fun trivia to kick things off and a sweet elimination challenge. Things are heating up in the Top Chef kitchen and we can't get enough of Season 22.
Second Helping Week 3 - w/ Bailey Sullivan
            
            
        We have current reigning champ of Top Chef on the pod this week! Bailey Sullivan joins us to discuss her time in the Top Chef kitchen, Last Chance Kitchen and all of the juicy BTS bits of season 22. You don't want to miss this interview with the woman who was brave enough to do risotto day 1.
You can find Bailey:
On Instagram @baileylynnsullivan
Check out Southern Smoke Foundation
Ice Ice Baby (S22E3) w/ Savannah Miller
            
            
        It's episode 3 of Top Chef and we have a real live Top Chef finalist in the studio to unpack it all! Savannah Miller (season 21) joins us to discuss her takes on the new season, Jamaican beef patties, cold-dish challenges and maybe even re-live a little PTSD. This is an incredible episode with tons of insights from someone who was there to do it herself.
You can find Savannah on instagram @savvysavv