It’s the round of 16 on Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions VII,” and a Milwaukee chef has been battling it out for his shot at the title, a championship belt and the $150,000 grand prize.
In an episode that aired April 5, Dan Jacobs, chef and co-owner of restaurants EsterEv and DanDan, competed in the second round of the network’s “Tournament of Champions VII” show, a competition that pits 32 all-star chefs from across the country against one another in a head-to-head, single-elimination tournament to determine television’s top chef.
He blazed through the qualifier round to secure his seventh seed placement in the tournament, then bested Kentucky chef Sara Bradley in the first round.
But as the tournament moves forward, the competition gets tougher. And in the second round, the round of 16, Jacobs faced off against a newly crowned winner of another recent Food Network Tournament.
Did he knock out another? Read on to find out.
Food Network’s ‘Tournament of Champions VII’ round of 16 battles and outcomes
In the second episode of the round of 16, chefs in the tournament’s C and D divisions faced off. In the A and B Divisions, Jet Tila defeated Claudette Zepeda, Kevin Lee took down Britt Rescingo, Jonathon Sawyer bested Aarti Sequeria and Joe Sasto won over Lorena Garcia.
There were four battles in the C and D divisions, with the final cook of the night – the “title fight,” as host Guy Fieri put it – between No. 7 seed Jacobs and the No. 3 seed, Maryland chef Bryan Voltaggio.
Prior to Jacobs and Voltaggio’s cook-off, “Iron Chef” and No. 7 seed Stephanie Izard defeated No. 3 seed Marcel Vigneron, No. 5 seed Shirley Chung knocked out No. 8 seed Viet Pham and No. 8 seed Kenny Gilbert upset No. 4 seed (and Jacobs’ fellow “Top Chef: Wisconsin” contestant) Kaleena Bliss.
And finally, at the end of the show, the last matchup: Jacobs versus Voltaggio.
Voltaggio was fresh off his winning run on “Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas,” paired with his brother, Michael. Like Jacobs, he’s also a “Top Chef” runner-up (though he’s appeared on the show three times).
Voltaggio may have been the higher seed and entered the competition with momentum, but Jacobs doesn’t let anything intimidate him.
“I’m not the person who’s supposed to beat Bryan Voltaggio,” Jacobs said. “But I’m literally playing with house money. I have nothing to lose.”
How did Dan Jacobs do in the second round of ‘Tournament of Champions?’
As Jacobs walked into the arena donning a tie-dye T-shirt, Fieri called out his two restaurants, including DanDan, a “modern Asian spot that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praised for its ‘Completely delicious courses and perfect meals.’”
Heyooo! Love a Journal Sentinel shoutout! Thanks, Guy!
“He’s proven nothing, nothing, in life can slow him down,” Fieri said at the end of Jacobs’ introduction.
Jacobs is using this platform to raise awareness for Kennedy’s Disease, which he was diagnosed with a decade ago. As he did in previous episodes, he explained how the degenerative disease impacts his daily life and how he moves around in the kitchen.
The chefs had never cooked with nor against each other, but Voltaggio did judge Jacobs’ dishes on episode 7 (the Racing Sausages episode) of “Top Chef: Wisconsin.” And it was one of the few episodes where Jacobs landed in the bottom … yikes.
“I’ve looked up to Bryan for a long time,” Jacobs said.
The two stood in front of the Randomizer, a tool that Fieri spins to determine which instruments, techniques and ingredients the chefs must use in their cook. After spinning, it landed on halibut for protein, watermelon radish for produce, metal skewers for equipment, Sunday supper for style and … nacho cheese for the wildcard ingredient.
Oof. Halibut and canned nacho cheese? Good luck with that.
“I might be late for dinner,” Fieri said. “This is not a fun Randomizer.”
The chefs had 35 minutes to cook their dishes. Jacobs mentioned how difficult it is to get around the kitchen quickly while living with Kennedy’s Disease, but he moved as quickly as he could, and landed on an ode to Wisconsin in the process.
He would prepare fried halibut with escovitch, pepita mole verde, and skewered watermelon radish, eggplant and onions.
How did he incorporate that dreadful nacho cheese? Pretty brilliantly. He used it as an emulsifier in his mole, making it thick and smooth. Also in the mole: lots of cilantro and kale, which gave it a gorgeous, grassy green color.
Jacobs’ kitchen partner, chef Justin Warner, was there to study every move he made, reporting to the judges later how the dish was created.
“Am I invited to the fish fry?” Warner asked.
Jacobs lit up.
“Dude, have you ever been to a fish fry?” he asked, flashing his eyes to the audience. “Has anyone ever been to a Wisconsin fish fry?”
If Jacobs has an opportunity to shout out Wisconsin, he’s going to take it. And we love him for it.
On the other side of the kitchen, Voltaggio was preparing a crispy salad with skewered halibut and maitake mushrooms. He made a marinade using shirodashi, miso and mustard with a little nacho cheese to help it cling to the fish. Pretty smart.
Both chefs seemed concerned about their use of all the Randomizer categories, but at the end of their 35 minutes, they’d done all they could.
They retreated to their trailers to watch guest judges Susan Feniger, Maneet Chauhan and Hubert Keller taste their dishes.
Jacobs said he’s had a copy of Keller’s cookbook since he was 19, kicking himself for not bringing it to nab an autograph.
Keller said he thought Jacobs was smart in his use of the Randomizer, but didn’t love the char on the watermelon radishes.
Jacobs looked crushed.
Chauhan had better news. “I think nacho cheese should now be a requirement in pepita mole,” she said, also praising the batter on Jacobs’ halibut.
Feniger loved his mole, but commented that the halibut was overcooked and underseasoned.
The judges also thought Voltaggio’s halibut was slightly overcooked, but praised the chef’s “expert” use of nacho cheese, while not highlighting it.
When the chefs returned to the stage, Fieri revealed the winner.
With a score of 80 to 77, Voltaggio defeated Jacobs.
It was a really tight battle. In taste, Voltaggio scored 38 to Jacobs’ 37. He won the randomizer 34 to 32. Both chefs scored an 8 in presentation.
“Chef Dan, I’m sad to see this be the end of your TOC run,” Fieri said.
But Jacobs didn’t seem too down. The famously busy chef was already looking ahead to his next run.
“I did my best,” he said. “I’m ready to attack this again next time.”
So, sadly, this is the end of Jacobs’ time on “Tournament of Champions VII.”
But he’s not slowing down. On April 19, many of his fellow “Tournament of Champions” and “Top Chef” contestants will be in Milwaukee, cooking for Jacobs’ annual Dim Sum Give Some event, a fundraiser for the Kennedy’s Disease Association.
Let’s give it up for Jacobs, who made a valiant effort coming from the qualifying round to the round of 16. He knocked acclaimed chefs Joe Flamm and Sara Bradley from the tournament, and used his platform to amplify Kennedy’s Disease, Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
We’re proud of you, Dan! Can’t wait to see what you do next.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Did Dan Jacobs move ahead in Food Network’s ‘Tournament of Champions?’
Reporting by Rachel Bernhard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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