Asian Jordan Out on Top Chef

The return of Restaurant Wars on Top Chef brought about a big loss with the elimination of Dale, the only Asian on the show. As Executive Chef of Mai Buddha, Dale was dismissed for his failure to bring together a team and deliver great dishes. Even though the Asian fusion restaurant had the strongest chefs trained in Asian cuisine, nothing came together.

Personally, I liked Dale’s style bringing kicks to the kitchen, first with his Air Jordan III in the Top Chef promo and always rocking them blue Air Max 1 (?, never got a good look at them). He usually did well in the competitions, but when it came to teamwork and elevating the performance of his teammates, Dale was like MJ in his early days. When Jordan came to Chicago, he dazzled and bewildered with his offensive abilities. Similarly, Dale’s individual creations were tasty and imaginative. But over the years, Michael came to understand that he couldn’t do it alone. The play of his teammates were vital to success and only being an offensive weapon was not good enough. Michael began to trust in his teammates and got them involved. MJ also diversified his own game adding tenacious defense to his unstoppable offense.

That’s where Dale fell a little short. In Wedding Wars, Dale did everything instead of finding ways of getting the team involved. While he sought input from fellow chefs, Lisa and Spike, in Restaurant Wars, Dale couldn’t get a team effort going. Everyone’s individual agenda overruled the success of the team. In the end, there was no cohesive menu complemented by Dale’s signature taste and style.

The format of the finals for this season changed a little with the inclusion of the top four chefs. Previously, it was the top three chefs. With five chefs remaining, I have issues with Lisa and/or Spike making the finals along with Richard, Stephanie, Antonia, and the now eliminated Dale. Richard and Stephanie belong in the finals. I picked Dale to be there. Antonia’s been solid in competitions dealing with fundamentals but her high end stuff has been kinda weak. Lisa is too angry and recalcitrant to make the finals an enjoyable event. Spike? He more weaseled his way this far on the show, not really standing out. Yep, Top Chef Chicago is becoming more and more unmemorable.

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