Top Chef has a new champion, and he’s one of their best performers to date. Tristen Epps-Long won the culinary staple’s 22nd season, titled Destination Canada. He ends the season with two Quickfire wins under his belt and 5 elimination wins (counting the finale challenge).
Tristen spent much of the season creating dishes that paid homage to his Afro-Caribbean roots, which helped him stand apart from his competitors. His dedication to elevating his culture’s dishes was noted in the finale by fellow Top Chef alum Gregory Gourdet, who had a similar mission in his two seasons on the show.
Tristen’s dedication to highlighting Black history in the show is fitting, given that he has now made some history of his own. With his win, he now becomes the second Black chef to ever be crowned Top Chef. The first Black champion, Kevin Sbraga, won back in season 7, Top Chef D.C., which aired back in 2010, meaning 15 years have passed between the two respective wins.
In the finale, Tristen and fellow finalists Shuai Wang and Bailey Sullivan were tasked with creating the “four course progressive menu of their lives”. While all of the finalists created well-acclaimed menus, Tristen and his sous chef Zubair Mohajir created the winning menu inspired by his family and upbringing.
While his four-course menu was met with high praise from the panel of judges, Tristen’s record all season long has been incredibly impressive. He was at the top of almost every main challenge throughout the season’s 14-episode run. He only placed in the bottom three once, in the final seven challenge, and was in the middle only three times. He placed in the top three in five challenges and won five more, including Restaurant Wars. He ends the season with two Quickfire wins under his belt, and five elimination wins (counting the finale challenge).
Tristen’s run was not without hardship, particularly from home. During Restaurant Wars his father had a stroke and was put into a medically induced coma. He passed away the morning of the Restaurant Wars challenge, which Tristen won as Executive Chef. His father’s memory was honored both in that episode and in the finale when his win was announced.
As the winner of Top Chef, Tristen received a prize of $250,000 (the largest in Top Chef history), a $125,000 in Delta Air Lines flight credits, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, and an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, the chance to headline their own dinner at the James Beard House, and the opportunity to present at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards.
Congratulations to Tristen on the milestone win!