Beau MacMillan, chef at Elements in Scottsdale, Ariz., was the fourth Super Chef eliminated. He survived one Secret Ingredient Showdown, but found himself in the bottom once more and lost a close Battle Coconut.
Heat and Meat
In the season's first challenge, Chef MacMillan was paired with Chef Zakarian to cook with heat and meat in the wilderness. Here, he outlined their two pork dishes.
Top Team
"Gonna kill it!" Chef MacMillan wrote in his journal after he and Chef Zakarian finished cooking. What may have seemed like an unlikely pairing turned out to be a very solid team.
Waiting for Judgment
As they waited for their first round of judgment from Michael Symon, Simon Majumdar and Judy Joo, Chef MacMillan reflected in his journal: "We think it went well, but you never know!"
A Winning Dish
The judges loved the offerings from Chefs MacMillan and Zakarian, especially this "Pig in Provence" dish with an artichoke barigoule. They took home the season's first Chairman's Challenge win.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
When the chefs found themselves at San Diego's Petco Park for the second Chairman's Challenge, Chef MacMillan jotted down a few initial ideas for ballpark food.
Ballpark Fare
Chef MacMillan decided upon a deconstructed Philly cheesesteak and a deconstructed shrimp and corn fritter for his two dishes. They landed him in the middle of the pack — but safe from elimination.
Stuck With Sour Candy
The movie theater concession challenge in episode three threw Chef MacMillan his biggest curve ball yet. He was assigned to cook with Sour Patch candies. "This is the ingredient that I most fear," admitted Alton. "I don't even know if this is food."
On the Bottom
Chef MacMillan ended up in the bottom of the challenge along with Chef Hughes. They went on to duke it out in a Secret Ingredient Showdown featuring tofu. Chef MacMillan's tofu three ways proved a successful shot at redemption.
Improvise With Octopus
Here, Chef MacMillan shows his artistic side in his journal, sketching an octopus — the protein that all of the Super Chefs had to cook with for the next challenge of Improvisation.
Curve Ball Ingredients
In addition to octopus, the chefs were stuck with marshmallows, kumquats and tortillas. "This is no joke, man," said Chef MacMillan. "We started off at a comedy club and now this is getting tough."
Prep List
Chef MacMillan kept organized and wrote out a prep list for his octopus-kumquat-tortilla-marshmallow dish.
Thinking Mexican
Although his cooking normally skews Asian, Chef MacMillan saw tortillas and was inspired to go Mexican. Here, he grinds blue corn tortillas in a food processor to make a tortilla fritter.
Final Dish Plans
Chef MacMillan's final dish had multiple components, outlined here in his journal.
Disjointed Dish
"Not quite as successful as your past battles," said Judy Joo after tasting Chef MacMillan's Grilled Baby Octopus With Blue Corn Tortilla Fritter, Kumquat Jalapeno Jelly and Miso Marshmallow Brulee. "It was like kung fu fighting in my mouth. Disjointed and quite honestly, disappointing."
A Second Showdown
After landing in the bottom, Chef MacMillan faced his second Secret Ingredient Showdown, this time cooking against Chef Zakarian in Battle Coconut.
Close Call
Chef MacMillan was edged out of the competition by Chef Zakarian, but he left gracefully. "You did not have a bad day in the kitchen, you had a great day in the kitchen," Alton told him. "Chef Zakarian's day was just a little bit better."
