You can try dishes inspired by new episodes of Top Chef filmed in Greenville. Here’s how
Top Chef’s episodes filmed in Greenville began airing on Monday with a stop at Soby’s for what they called the Ultimate Dinner Party.
Two things you couldn’t miss during the show — the lovely aged brick and wood front of Soby’s, shown several times, and Duke’s Mayonnaise, which had to be used in the appetizers and was on the shelf pretty much every time you saw one of the chefs cooking.
There were also glamour shots of Greenville’s tree-lined Main Street (in summer when it was filmed), Reedy River Falls and Unity Park.
Greenville looked fabulous.
To mark the show being in Greenville, VisitGreenvilleSC, one of the sponsors of Top Chef Carolinas, is offering an As Seen on TV experience, which began this week with, predictably, a three-course pre-fix dinner at Soby’s whose owner Carl Sobocinski was seen several times during the first episode.
He also was one of the judges, along with resident judges, host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons.
Others at the dinner party included chefs from other Greenville restaurants such as Sum Bar and Papi’s.
The Soby’s As Seen on TV menu was inspired by some of the dishes the contestants — the show calls them cheftestants — made during the show.
The menu includes crab and watermelon salad, Soby’s short rib with polenta and beans and Soby’s peach mousse.
It will be available through mid-August.
The show is not releasing how many episodes from Greenville will air, saying only several, or even how many episodes there are (usually 14).
The Hyatt, where the contestants stayed, is also offering a Culinary Stay Package.
Filming was largely centered around Charlotte, with the first episode airing March 9. The shows were filmed between August and October last year.
The winner will receive $250,000 grand prize, furnished by Graza Olive Oil, which also had quite a few cameos.
Top Chef premiered in March 2006 and features 12 to 19 chefs selected through auditions. They participate in a Quickfire Challenge and an Elimination Challenge in each episode.
Chefs are eliminated in each show until it comes down to two or three who create a full-course meal.
The signature phrase for elimination is “Please pack your knives and go.” In Monday’s episode it was Durham, North Carolina, chef Oscar Diaz, whose Sancocho dish was too bitter, the judges said.
Rhoda Magbitang, executive chef at CanoeHouse in Hawaiʻi, was considered second worst but was spared. She made a British dessert called Eton mess, which consists of crushed meringue, whipped cream, and strawberries. Her meringue didn’t meringue.
Anthony Jones won the Quickfire Challenge and $10,000. He is the executive chef at Marcus DC, a James Beard Award semifinalist for Emerging Chef, and is known for African and Latin-inspired cuisine. He made an heirloom tomato and watermelon salad with a little crab.
Besides the money, the season winner also gets a feature in Food & Wine magazine, and an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado.
The show airs on Bravo and Peacock and streams online.