Stacy Cogswell

In Boston, 16 aspiring chefs compete for a shot at culinary stardom; the contestants are thrust into hot water with a Sudden Death Quick Fire Challenge; the Elimination Challenge unfolds during the first ever Top Chef Food Festival.

The competition heats up when the chefs cook in head-to-head battles in a Quickfire Challenge with guest judge Jamie Bissonnette, where the victor wins bragging rights and $10,000. For the Elimination Challenge, the team of Quickfire Losers gets a chance at redemption as they cook off as a team against the Quickfire Winners. In another head-to-head competition, the chefs strategize the best dishes they can make on a lean military budget with Revolutionary War-themed battles that take place at the historic Watertown Arsenal.

The famous signal “one if by land and two if by sea” plays a role in the ingredients the chefs must use in their Quickfire Challenge to create the ultimate surf and turf dish for guest judge Todd English. Then the chefs break into teams for the Elimination Challenge to serve Boston’s Finest in the police and fire departments. Using surprise ingredients, each team must work together to cook one cohesive dish. Tempers and dishes boil over in the kitchen as the chefs learn how to cook together for the first time. Chef Dante de Magistris guest judges the Elimination Challenge.

In a nod to the Boston Tea Party, the chef'testants brace themselves for another Sudden Death Quickfire Challenge where they must use tea to enhance their dishes for guest judge Ming Tsai. The chef with the worst dish must battle against another chef to stay in the competition. Historic Fenway Park hosts its first ever culinary competition in an Elimination Challenge where the chefs must use ballpark snacks to create a fine dining dish that will be served right on the field. Joining the judges are Baseball Hall of Famer and former Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley, Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy and guest judge Ming Tsai.

The fan-favorite "Restaurant Wars" challenge unfolds. Here, the culinarians must open their own pop-up eateries. In the all-encompassing test, they must create menus and restaurant decor and train the staff. Appearing: Barbara Lynch; Kristen Kish; and Stephanie Cmar.