Pack Your Knives

And then there were five. With one episode left before the two-part finale, Eric Adjepong and Tom Haberstroh break down the Calgary episode (Yahoo!). As the contestants wrangle with beef and berries, Tom and Eric weigh in on the most underrated cut of the cow and the best preparation at a steakhouse. How exactly we did Massimo make that fancy Fruit Roll-up? A rivalry emerges and three chefs separate themselves from the pack. The race seems more undecided than ever. Subscribe to the PYK Substack!⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.packyourknives.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rate PYK 5 Stars on⁠⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠ or⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠, or watch PYK on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube!⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Last Chance Kitchen is over. Eric Adjepong is back. And the show wraps up Toronto. A returnee comes back into the competition and gets revenge on the competitors. Adjepong shares his thoughts on Tristen at Restaurant Wars and what he took from the last two weeks while he was off air. Tom and Eric can’t help but laugh at the “hot garbage” quickfire while we wonder how sustainable Tristen’s lead might be with Massimo closing fast. The Top Chef fantasy race is getting hot. Subscribe to the PYK Substack!⁠⁠⁠ https://www.packyourknives.com/⁠⁠⁠ Rate PYK 5 Stars on⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠ or⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠, or watch PYK on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube!⁠⁠⁠ 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

Buddha Lo, a two-time Top Chef winner and head chef at Huso, shares his culinary journey and insights from judging Top Chef Canada. He discusses the emotional connections chefs have with their dishes, comparing his experiences with fellow competitor Tristen Epps, particularly around loss and ambition. Buddha also dishes on the pressures of cooking for Padma Lakshmi, highlighting standout dishes like a flawless salmon Wellington. The conversation dives into the evolving dynamics of competitive cooking, from presentation strategies to personal narratives, making it an unforgettable listen.

Restaurant Wars is here and so is Kevin Arnovitz! With Eric Adjepong on film leave, Arnovitz steps back into the chair to break down an emotional and tragic Restaurant Wars episode and offer his big-picture thoughts on the Destination Canada season as a whole. Where is Tristen Epps in the pantheon? When did the losing team squander their moment? What's the best way to eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch? And which Atlanta Braves pitcher does Lana remind us of? All that and more on a PYK reunion episode. Subscribe to the PYK Substack!⁠ https://www.packyourknives.com/⁠ Rate PYK 5 Stars on⁠ Apple⁠ or⁠ Spotify⁠, or watch PYK on ⁠YouTube!⁠ 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

OK, it’s time to talk about a certain chef in this competition. With the dominant stretch in the middle of Destination Canada, Tom and Eric discuss where the elimination-challenge winner places statistically and stylistically among the all-time greats. Names like Buddha Lo, Kristen Kish and Brooke Williamson are conjured up. Eric reveals the one chef that made him stand in awe during one of his competitions and explains the brilliance of Wylie “WD50” Dufresne and his DC pal Spike Mendelsohn. Plus, Tom and Eric share their favorite pizza style and finally agree on an intro food take. Subscribe to the PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/ Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or Spotify, or watch PYK on YouTube! 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

Eric Adjepong starts his victory lap trot after another disastrous week for Team Tom. Everyone at PYK is on Team Pickle. Haberstroh and Adjepong unpack the mistake-ridden episode of Top Chef while simultaneously bowing down to the greatness of two of Adjepong's chefs (Tristen and César). Eric also sheds light on the fashion do's-and-don'ts of Top Chef and the food TV world. After his trip to NYC, Tom shares his review of Time and Tide, the new restaurant from last season's Top Chef champ Danny Garcia. Eric takes stock of his visit to Tom's neck of the woods in Charlotte.Subscribe to the PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or Spotify, or watch PYK on YouTube!Follow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Haberstroh and Eric Adjepong are joined by ESPN’s Mina Kimes to recap this week’s episode which saw a double elimination. Did we like the staging at different restaurants? Are we surprised by the judge’s choices? Did the episode fall short?As the three weigh in, a surprise guest crashes the party: the guest judge Sara Bradley! Go behind the scenes with Sara, Eric, Tom and Mina as we break down this very controversial episode of Top Chef.Subscribe to the PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or Spotify, or watch PYK on YouTube!Follow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom reviews the latest two episodes of Last Chance Kitchen, including a LCK bombshell in the Hat Trick episode as well as a surprising two-part LCK 1 Finale. A lot happened, we'll just leave it at that.Subscribe to the PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or Spotify, or watch PYK on YouTube!Follow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Haberstroh and Eric Adjepong break down the episode with a really fun trivia QF and marvel at Chef Tristen’s hoop knowledge.Eric reveals the ins and outs of a proper duck cook while Tom shares the points standings of all the contestants from the season (It’s about time we got to, you know, see Canada!).As far as guest judges go, this episode did not disappoint. We got two Jeopardy contestants Amy Schneider and Mattea Roach for the Quickfire Challenge joining Michael Cera of Superbad, Arrested Development, This Is The End, Juno etc. fame.Looks like we’re headed for an epic Last Chance Kitchen.Subscribe to the PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or Spotify, or watch PYK on YouTube!Follow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three episodes in, a clear favorite emerges from the pack of Top Chef: Destination Canada. Tom and Eric skate their way through the Jamaican patty and hockey episode that saw the judges sadly send home one of the more talented chefs of the group.Eric shares his favorite beef patty stories from childhood and provides a BTS insight about what the producers say on set that gave him some a pang of pseudo-PTSD.Tom recaps last week’s Last Chance Kitchen with a request for Tom C.Subscribe to the PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or Spotify, or watch PYK on YouTube!Follow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices