In the ninth episode of this Wisconsin-set season of "Top Chef," aptly titled "The Good Land," host Kristen Kish tasked the cheftestants with a challenging prompt.
This challenge was, bar none, my favorite of the season thus far. The idea of prioritizing — and exclusively using — only native and indigenous ingredients in every dish was a great way to honor the land in which the show is being filmed, as well as challenging the cheftestants beyond their usual repertoire; they were barred from using all dairy, sugar, wheat, chicken, beef and pork. (Though of course, it should also be noted that what is native or indigenous to chefs in Wisconsin is markedly different from what is native or indigenous to me, in New Jersey, or someone cooking in Nebraska.)
