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James Oseland
Highs and Lows: James Oseland breaks down the hits and misses of the final meal ... and gets a little misty-eyed doing so.

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Writing this blog post, my last for the season, is like pulling teeth. Why? Well, for starters being in the presence of such outstanding chefs working at the top of their game for so many weeks was an unforgettable experience, and it’s not easy to let it all go.

But even more difficult was going into the finale knowing that only one of the three finalists would walk away a winner. I realize that’s the nature of competition — humans are hardwired to want to watch a great contest and see a single victor emerge. Competition begets great performances, of course, and we love to see people striving to do their best. But picking a winner can sometimes entail some tough decisions.

Rick, Michael, Hubert: each one of the finalists was, I can say without hesitation, a master in the truest sense of that word. Having witnessed firsthand, with all my senses, what these chefs are capable of under pressure has been a gift. The thoughtfully conceived, cook-your-autobiography challenge in the final episode, perhaps more than any of the challenges that came before, brought that mastery into sharp relief. I tasted the food of cooks who had an innate, almost unconscious knowledge of the properties of their ingredients, of how those ingredients behaved in a pan or an oven, about what techniques and seasonings make them shine.

Another thing that sets Rick, Michael, and Hubert apart from the flock is what we didn’t see in the last episode: namely, over-caffeinated tempers — the kind we got a whiff of when Dale Talde attempted to trash talk Michael on Episode 9. Instead, what we witnessed firmly refutes the notion that yelling and insults have a place in the professional kitchen. Sure, there were high emotions in evidence — after all, these cooks were being asked to make dishes with which they had deep personal and sentimental connections — but those feelings, far from getting in the way of good cooking, brought these chefs closer to what the business of preparing a meal is all about: nourishing and giving pleasure to the eater. They proved that being a master is more than just being able to have total recall of a battery of techniques; it’s about knowing, in your heart, that cooking, not drama, is what kitchens are meant for.
As with all the previous episodes, there were a few misses and hits. The seafood in Rick’s arroz a la tumbada was overcooked; it was heartbreaking to witness the moment — when he pulled the half-sheet pan laden with overly steamed scallops and mussels from the oven — at which he realized that. The almost-hard garlic in the center of Hubert’s rack of lamb was a detriment to the dish; too bad he couldn’t have sensed its rawness in the same way most of us at the table had. Surely he would have blanched it for longer. And Michael’s deep-fried, and very bony, whole fish was ugly and hard to eat, while his second-course polenta (the dish with the, uh, vaguely bizarre, burned Saveur-page doilies) was for me aggressively over-salted. Was there too much Parmigiano-Reggiano in it?

Comments

81 Comments

: 01/17/2010 - 5:09pm; 500; A judge should be objective!!!
A chef should be judged solely on his food!!!!!!!

: 09/10/2009 - 10:12am; Suzie Chapman; I loved Top Chef Masters. The chefs that competed were all true professionals who respected each other and enjoyed the differences in styles. They were there to compete but also to learn from each other and have fun. It made it all that much better. The only blight on the show was Dale and his behavior. I have been in a lot of kitchens over the years and the service industry is stressful under normal (whatever that is) circumstances, the stress in this competetive arena must have been 100 fold. The diference of a professional is the chef's who were competing and the sous chef who feels that bad behavior is ok. It's not!! I hope he learns a valuable lesson from the chef's he had the opportunity to work with.

08/29/2009 - 7:56am

Janet

How sad it is to deal with the decline of a pet. My thoughts and prayers are with you as I know the difficulties of preparing for a loss. My two rescues never judge me for my odd sleeping/eating habits, are there when I need a cuddle, and are just aloof enough to make me laugh when they ignore me. Treasure this last time with Pete-when the time is right another furry face will steal your heart and while it won't be a replacement, it will help you heal.

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed you on Masters-I did not think you were overly harsh on Michael-I think the bony fish did him in. And I saw that you understood the humor behind the "doilies". You gave an air of class and your well thought out and beautifully expressed criticism has me longing to see more of you.

: 08/26/2009 - 9:03pm; kim; the diners seemed to like michaels dishes the best. i hope we have seen the end of dale for good. one theme i keep seeing is that making grade d celebrities out of seriously immature people does not bring out the best of them. great taste deserves a better theme. even richard blaise started trash talking about others not keeping their cool while he was doing the same thing. his stating that he should have one over stephanie was poor sport. stephanie stayed ultra-cool and rallied when dale messed up her meal and showed many times why she did deserved to win.

: 08/26/2009 - 5:11pm; maureen; What is a mole?

: 08/24/2009 - 6:57pm; mmc; I enjoyed Top Chef Masters more than I can say. The three finalists all were winners in my book.They not only cooked wonderful dishes but they showed respect and admiration for each other.Rick Bayless is not only a great chef but he seems to be a great guy.Bravo to all of them and to you for being a real Gentleman when giving your critique!

08/24/2009 - 6:52pm

Ray

It was a really good show but also disappointing that as a judge of food, you weren't able to put you personal feelings aside. it's pretty obvious that michael got hossed by you.

it's just sad that you couldn't own up to it and admit it.

08/24/2009 - 1:47pm

Elizabeth

This was a wonderful show! I was so inspired and amazed at how these chefs cooked and also how they behaved towards one another. Although I like Top Chef, Top Chef Masters was many steps above in quality. I also think the judges attitudes were different on this show, much less negative. Mr. Oseland's comments helped me to get a better idea of what the food might have tasted like. I respect his opinion, and he gave Top Chef Masters more credibility in my book, as Saveur is much loved in my house. I could tell that the judges loved the food, admired the chefs, and throughly enjoyed themselves, I only wish I could have been one of them!

Competing for charity is also a brilliant concept, and I came away every week feeling like I had watched something positive and worthwhile.

I hope Mr. Oseland's kitty will not suffer too much, poor thing!

08/24/2009 - 12:53pm

Billy

First off, Congrats to Mr. Bayless - he is truly a wonderful chef with tremendous passion for his chosen cuisine (and a nice guy to boot!).

Secondly, all three would have been a great choice to be champion. All demonstrated mastery of their profession like no others and it was a thrill to watch them perform and deliver the consistency they did every week.

Finally, are you intimidated by Michael? By his success? By his touch of arrogance? I don't understand why you had such a vendetta against him. Show after show, you made it clear that Michael would never have your support. All three finalists had minor issues with one dish but your 3.5 score indicates some deeper motivation than just the quality of the food. I will pray for you...

: 08/23/2009 - 7:36pm; nancy; Just can't figure out your attitude toward Michael C. I loved all three of the finalists and the winner was fine to me but I never thought you ever really gave Michael a good chance. I hope not to see you as a permanent judge on tc again.

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