Tiffani Faison wins ‘Tournament of Champions’ Food Network competition

Boston restaurateur Tiffani Faison gained the third time of the culinary competitiveness present “Tournament of Champions” Sunday night time, taking household $100,000 — the premier cash prize in the history of the Foods Network.

Faison took a crack from helming her quite a few Boston eateries — Italian cafe Orfano and Sweet Cheeks barbecue, both equally in the Fenway, and Bubble Bath and other folks in the new downtown High Road Put food items hall, all underneath her Large Heart Hospitality cafe group — to seem on the exhibit, hosted by Person Fieri.

The clearly show, which began with 32 contestants, is structured as a bracket-style competitiveness, with best East Coastline and West Coast chefs pitted against every other. They whip up foods established by a randomizer equipment that assigns a protein, another ingredient, a piece of machines, a model of cooking, and a time allotment. Originally, Faison — who also competed in the next time of “Tournament of Champions” — was placed in the 3rd seed for her region.

In the finale, Faison went head-to-head with the time 1 winner, Los Angeles chef Brooke Williamson. Their assignment? To cook rabbit and nattō (a Japanese fermented soybean) on an anti-griddle, getting ready one particular of the components 3 distinctive means in an hour. Faison emerged victorious with, among other dishes, a fried rabbit leg atop a puree of sweet potato and nattō.

“Tournament of Champions is the hardest, most challenging cooking level of competition in the globe,” explained Faison in a press launch. “It normally takes just about every ounce of knowledge, knowledge, grit, and battle you have to thrive. I uncovered a lot more about myself with each individual fight and I discovered a lot more how deeply proficient the other warriors in this event are. Every single week is a examination that calls for your full heart to show up and then usually takes your breath absent.”

Faison, who was named a James Beard finalist for the Most effective Chef: Northeast award previous thirty day period, is no stranger to superior-stakes cooking competitions. She was the runner-up in the 1st year of “Top Chef,” and is a regular decide on “Chopped,” also on the Foodstuff Community.

The 3rd season of “Tournament of Champions,” the channel’s greatest-rated collection to date in 2022, is now streaming on discovery+.

“Winning has been one of the most affirming and worthwhile encounters of my lifestyle,” reported Faison. “It is the literal fruits of the get the job done, commitment, and perseverance I’ve invested in my profession. I’m so deeply grateful for this prospect. This is magic.”

Dana Gerber can be arrived at at [email protected]