Lisa Fernandes Wins Top Chef

Well, not exactly. Lisa Fernandes, the Top Chef cheftestant (thanks DC) everyone loved to hate, won a Top Chef cooking challenge on The View yesterday.

Padma was on and hosted a competition with Whoopi and Sherri as additional tasters and judges. The chefs had to prepare a family friendly meal as cheaply as possible. Stephen, the snobby wine guy, made a very elegant meal for 4 that came in under 20 dollars. He made a chicken version of a classic veal dish. It did not look appetizing, but was apparently very tasty.

Lisa (with a haircut that must have been done at an army base), made a panko crusted chicken that the ladies went wild for. And Spike made a phyllo pizza with many brightly colored peppers, which anyone who’s gone to a store lately knows are really expensive. He also had a honey sweetened yogurt dessert that was enthusiastically received. His meal, though, came in at 27 dollars plus.

It was weird because Padma thought she had to be the difficult judge in the group and she kept asking belligerent questions like, “Can you substitute fish sticks for this?” Or “If the kids are allergic to nuts, can you leave them out?” NO, PADMA, THE DISH MUST HAVE NUTS IN IT!!!! What do you think? Puhleez….she was being really witchy. The food must have been good because Whoopi and Sherri were shoveling in food at a rate not seen since feeding time at the zoo.

Ultimately Lisa pulled off the win and she received…NOTHING, but she did get a plug in for “a product line” she’s developing and a cook book. The recipes are here.