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On Top Chef season 20 episode 8, the contestants faced some twists and turns with guest judge Judy Joo, who challenged them to create street food-inspired dishes. Nine contestants competed in the eighth episode for the $250,000 grand prize and title of the show.
The nine contestants were Ali Al Ghzawi, Sara Bradley, Charbel Hayek, Victoire Gouloubi, Buddha Lo, Tom Goetter, Gabriel Rodriguez, Amar Santana, and Nicole Gomes.
The chefs were divided into teams during the elimination challenge, with Sara, Amar, and Charbel on the Green Team. Ali, Tom, and Gabri were on the Yellow Team. The Red Team consisted of Nicole, Buddha, and Victoire. Based on the results of the elimination challenge, the yellow team won and qualified to attend the premiere of Fast X.
Green team's Charbel Hayek was eliminated after the elimination challenge. It was the first time he and Sara were at the bottom. Based on the judges' comparison of his dish with Sara's, her dish was more similar to the challenge. Charbel's use of lamb was also considered "a little boring."
In his current position, Charbel Hayek is a private chef in Lake Worth, Florida. He was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon.
Charbel Hayek's mother taught the Top Chef season 20 contestant to cook
The first time Charbel Hayek fell in love with cooking was when he was able to help his mother cook in the kitchen as a young kid. Following his realization of his life's purpose, he studied culinary at the French School of Excellence. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career, working first at Melisse under Michelin-starred chef Josiah Citrin for three years.
Hayek won the fifth season of Top Chef Middle East & North Africa during his tenure in Beirut. He describes his cuisine as New American with influences from French and Lebanese cultures. Upon winning the Top Chef Middle East & North Africa in 2022, Charbel Hayek discussed with Hospitality News his decision to participate on the show as follows:
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Top Chef. I used to watch every single episode and try to learn from the participants, the judges and really teach myself. So, you can imagine the feeling when I received the call to apply!”
Additionally, Charbel Hayek explained in the interview how experience matters the most in this career.
"I really don’t think that age matters, but experience is key. You can argue that the older you get, the more experience you have, therefore the better you are. Although that’s true, I started working when I was 15 years old and began learning about culinary arts, which gave me a head start."
As for his latest appearance on Thursday's episode of Top Chef season 20, Charbel Hayek and Sara were at the bottom for the first time in the elimination challenge. Sara's dish met most of the challenges given by the judges at the decision table, while Hayek's final dish featured lamb and was considered boring.
In an exit interview, Charbel stated:
“I have no regrets, to be honest. I learned a lot. I’m so grateful that I’m able to put my country on the map. That’s an achievement by itself. At 25 I’m here, I’m still a student. I want to keep learning. That’s not the end for me. This is just the beginning. I’ll be back, stronger.”
A new episode of Top Chef season 20 will be broadcast on Bravo on May 4, 2023, at 9 pm ET. OTT platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Hulu are also streaming the latest episode of the show.
