Finally unleashed to cook his food his way, Hung Huynh wowed the judges on Bravo’s “Top Chef” on Wednesday night, winning a season that many watchers had him pegged to do since the first episode in June and silencing critics who said his cooking was technically superior but lacked soul.
The judging came down to Huynh and Dale Levitski of Chicago, each of whom the judges felt did the best on two of the four courses the chefs prepared.
But in a finale broadcast live from a studio on Chicago’s West Side, Huynh, a classically trained 29-year-old executive sous chef at Guy Savoy in Las Vegas, prevailed for his meal seasoned with the flavors of his Vietnamese-Chinese heritage.
Judges especially loved his duck dish, saying he should keep it with him always, and they recognized that they finally saw his passion.
“It took me a long time to bring out my passion. I was glad to finally be able to marry my background and my Asian ingredients with my cooking,” he said after his victory.
Huynh, Levitski and Casey Thompson, 29, of Dallas faced the judges’ table for the last time in front of a live studio audience of friends, family and past contestants.
The final challenge was taped in Aspen this summer, with the elimination round calling on the chefs to create the best meal of their lives in four courses. Levitski faltered with his gnocchi. Casey failed with too much salmon roe and an improperly cooked pork belly.
———-
Personals was compiled by Emily Rosenbaum from Tribune news services and staff reports.