Top Chef
Cactus Makes Perfect
Season 19, Episode 13 · Aired 2022-05-26

Synopsis
The final four chefs are headed to Tucson. For their last Quickfire Challenge, they'll make the trip to El Charro, the oldest family-run Mexican restaurant in the country, where legendary chef Carlotta Flores challenges them to create a dish featuring her Carne Seca. In the final Elimination Challenge, alum and Tucson local Maria Mazon wants the chefs to embrace the desert lifestyle and create two dishes – one sweet and one savory – using the classic Sonoran ingredients: cactus and chiltepin. With an impressive assortment of locals and "Top Chef Seattle" winner Kristen Kish joining the judges table, the heat is on.
In the series
This episode is part of Top Chef (2006–present) on Bravo.
Pack your knives — culinary competition as prestige unscripted.
Key cast
- Padma Lakshmi as Host
- Tom Colicchio as Judge
- Gail Simmons as Judge