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Posted by Patsy Kreitman on Edible TV

Anyone who has been following Top Chef in New York this season, last night was definitely an interesting end to the season.

Throughout the season, we saw Stefan rock and roll through the challenges and come out on top without issue, except that his ego may have gotten a bit bigger. Hosea was strong, but when he and Leah got tangled up in their “friendship,” he lost his focus. Carla started out slowly, but had really shown her strengths throughout the last weeks of the competition.

The three finalists were asked to make the 3 course meal of their lives as their final challenge. As always, there was a twist thrown in to see how they could handle it. Tom showed up, and they had to chow down on a King Cake to see who would find the baby. The winner would choose the proteins for everyone. Hosea won and took the Red Fish, gave Carla the crab and Stefan was left with alligator. No surprise there. Fortunately, each chef was able to come up with an appetizer that showed their unique style and they all did well with the judges.

As always, they brought in sous chef help. This time it was previous Top Chef Finalists who didn’t win: Marcel, Richard and Casey. Hosea chose Richard, which was a good match-up. Stefan wanted to give Marcel another chance at “winning.” Carla and Casey ended up together as they were the last ones left.

As the preparation of their dishes began, you could see a problem arise with fan favorite Carla. She deferred to Casey’s suggestion to sous vide the beef rather than go with her instinct. She also opted not to make a tart as a dessert course - her strength - and instead made a savory souffle that literally fell flat. The souffle did not make it on the plate as Carla could not serve it, kudos to her for making that call.

Stefan made an error in judgement, according to Tom, when he froze fresh fish so that he could slice it thin for his carpaccio. He also made a dessert dish that Gail described as “so 1982.” Things weren’t looking good for him either.

Hosea stayed true to what he was good at and opted not to make a dessert course. Too often chefs attempt it and then pay for it at judges table. Overall, his dishes were enjoyed and showed his culinary style. So we offer a big congratulations to Hosea, the Season 4 Top Chef!

Photo Courtesy of Bravo TV.