"Know my way around a curd" Top Chef Season 22's Kat Turner impresses Kristen Kish in the Quickfire Challenge

Wisconsin native Kat Turner rebounded from a rocky start on Top Chef: Destination Canada with a standout performance in the Season's second episode. After narrowly escaping elimination in the premiere, the Sturgeon Bay native and Marquette University graduate showed her Midwestern roots in a cheese curd-themed Quickfire Challenge that caught the judges' attention.

When Top Chef host Kristen Kish noted her Wisconsin background while tasting her poutine creation, commenting,

"You're from Wisconsin — you know a cheese curd or two"

Kat responded with a confident smile:

"I know my way around a curd."

That hometown expertise paid off as her dish landed in the top three of the challenge, marking a satisfying comeback after her near-elimination. The popular cooking competition pits 15 talented chefs against each other in a series of culinary challenges across Canada, with contestants facing both quickfire speed tests and more complex Top Chef Elimination Challenges each episode.

For Kat, the cheese curd challenge wasn't just a test of skill—it was a chance to showcase her Wisconsin heritage while getting her competition journey back on track.

Top Chef’s Kat Turner’s redemption arc

This episode of Top Chef opened with Kat reflecting on her disappointing performance in the Season Premiere. During a morning yoga session with fellow competitors, she admitted:

"I'm really glad that last week is behind me. I'm equal parts embarrassed and grateful"

Adding:

"Getting another chance to prove myself is probably the biggest reward I've gotten from a mistake in a long time."

That second chance came quickly in the form of a quintessentially Canadian Quickfire Challenge. Guest judge Sarah Levy of "Schitt's Creek" fame tasked the contestants with creating their own spin on poutine, the iconic Canadian dish of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy.

While some competitors took dramatic creative liberties—from potato roulade with mornay sauce to Indian chaat-inspired creations—Kat played to her strengths. Her poutine-inspired plate featured crispy potato, mushroom gravy, smoked soy, and, of course, cheese curds.

The Top Chef judges praised the depth of flavor in her mushroom gravy, landing her dish among the challenge's top three performers. Though fellow contestant Shuai ultimately won the challenge with his soy sauce fondant potatoes and three-cheese sauce, Kat's strong showing marked a clear turning point in her competition journey.

This Top Chef episode's Elimination Challenge kept Kat's momentum going as the chefs split into two teams to create seven-course brunch menus featuring maple syrup. A twist required each team to incorporate mystery ingredients purchased by their opponents.

Kat's green team embraced chaos, selecting a fully cooked pizza and bags of candy (including red hots, gummy candies, and candy corn) for their rivals. The opposing brown team countered with pre-made lasagna and white truffle oil.

For her contribution, Kat prepared congee with maple bacon chili crisp—a dish that immediately caught the judges' attention. They praised how the sweet congee balanced with the heat from the chili crisp, creating a harmonious flavor profile.

"Though I'd never think to order it from a menu, it was delicious," remarked guest judge Sarah Levy.

Tom Colicchio offered perhaps the highest praise in his characteristic straightforward manner:

"A great hangover food," he declared.

Wisconsin pride carries Kat Turner forward

While Kat's green team ultimately lost the Elimination Challenge to the brown team (who won $35,000 for their stronger showcase of maple syrup), her individual performance remained strong. Her congee earned positive comments from all Top Chef judges, suggesting it might have been among the top dishes had her team won.

Meanwhile, teammate Bailey was eliminated for an underbaked maple tart that lacked sufficient maple flavor, sending her to "Last Chance Kitchen" to fight for a return to the competition.

For Kat, the episode represented a significant turnaround from her near-elimination in the premiere. By embracing her Wisconsin roots and cheese curd expertise in the Quickfire Challenge, she found her competitive footing and followed through with a memorable congee dish in the Top Chef Elimination Challenge.

As Top Chef: Destination Canada continues, Kat Turner has established herself as a competitor who can bounce back from setbacks and leverage her Midwestern culinary background to create dishes that impress even the most discerning judges.

Her journey from the bottom two to creating top-rated dishes in just one episode suggests viewers should keep a close eye on this Wisconsin native as the competition heats up.

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Top Chef airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock, BravoTV.com, and the Bravo app.