"We're making prison-style mozzarella" — Top Chef star Massimo details his preparation in latest sneak peek

On May 14, 2025, Top Chef's official Instagram account (@bravotopchef) shared a sneak peek from the upcoming segment, episode 10. The episode, titled From Dep Till Dawn, will showcase the chefs in action as they prepare food for comedian Punkie Johnson.

While describing one of the elements of his dish, contestant Massimo says:

"We're making prison-style mozzarella. Melted cheese curds in hot water. Make a ball of mozzarella. Job well done, Massimo."

He is seen preparing a hybrid pigs-in-a-blanket grilled cheese "sort of thing." To complete his dish, Massimo needs mozzarella, so he creates one with hot water and cheese curds. He then calls his mozzarella ball the "first original mozzarella from a depanneur."

The other contestants of Top Chef are shown running around the kitchen looking for their ingredients, whereas some are at their stations cooking for Punkie Johnson, hoping to impress.

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"Very umami-forward" — Top Chef fame Tristen shares his vision for his dish in the challenge

According to the official synopsis of the Top Chef episode, Punkie Johnson will test the chefs' creativity by challenging them to create a dish using items only available in a Canadian convenience store. Since the chefs have no access to the pantry, they have to make do with whatever is available to them, but at the same time, ensure that the food's quality and taste are maintained.

It seems like a daunting challenge for the chefs as they scramble across the kitchen to complete their dishes on time without compromising the food quality, especially at this stage in the competition. Since the episode will result in one elimination, the contestants can be seen pushing themselves to meet the judges' expectations.

The opening scene of the sneak peek shows Massimo screaming and saying:

"15 minutes!"

Meanwhile, Shuai asks Massimo if he knows that parmesan can be grated with a fork. Since a grater is absent from their list of appliances, the Top Chef contestants come up with innovative ideas to execute their plans. Intrigued by his question, Massimo asks him what he's preparing. Shuai explains that his dish is a "cross" between a Monte Cristo and croque monsieur.

In the meantime, Massimo is shown utilizing the slices of bread from a convenience store-bought, pre-packaged sandwich to make the pastry for his pigs-in-a-blanket grilled cheese. Since mozzarella is also unavailable, Massimo uses pre-packed cheese curds and hot water to make mozzarella.

With 11 minutes left for the challenge to finish, Tristen prepares a "little peanut soup" and some of his "favorite food: hot dogs." While sharing the vision behind his dish, the Top Chef participant says:

"I want something that can be, like, very umami-forward. Now, I just have to build as much flavor as I can."

Tristen also makes some croutons to add a crunchy element to his dish. He then tells the cameras that he would blend his peanut soup after infusing it with as much flavor as possible.

Lana then tastes her dish and realizes she has to add more ham and cheese to make her dish flavorful. She also makes waffles and a "spicy syrup" to go with them.

Massimo, on the other hand, struggles to use the oven assigned to him and jokingly asks the cameramen to have the "fire department" ready. The sneak peek of the episode ends when the contestants still has seven minutes on the clock. The caption of the snippet reads:

"Convenience store cooking like you've never seen before! Don't miss tomorrow's all-new episode of #TopChef!

Fans of the Bravo show can tune in on Monday, April 15, 2025, to see which contestant will be sent home and who will advance to the next stage of the contest.

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Top Chef is available to stream on Hulu.