Girl Meets Farm host Molly Yeh got her first taste of a high-stakes Food Network cooking competition on Wildcard Kitchen Season 2, and, after a delicious victory, the beloved chef is hungry for another win. Now, she’s entering the 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing kitchen to keep the momentum going. Can the comfort-food queen utilize her dynamic Chinese and Jewish roots, combined with her self-taught culinary skills, to go 2-0 on Food Network cooking competition shows?
Follow me down memory lane for a quick refresh on Molly’s first big Food Network win.
Molly enters (donning a pink visor, might I add!) Eric Adjepong’s late-night, after-hours kitchen to play an “friendly” game of culinary poker against fellow Food Network favorites: Kentucky bourbon maven Damaris Phillips and NFL player turned comfort-food king Eddie Jackson. The three competitors sit down at Eric’s card table and buy into the first hand of the game for $500.
The game begins, as always, with a 20-minute Speed Hand using ingredients and tools dealt by Eric at the table. After a quick shuffle, Eric lays down the first Dish and Ingredient card of the game. The chefs are tasked to create a plate that “Brings the Heat” using pistachios as their ingredient. Eric then deals each chef a secret Wildcard, and Molly is tasked with plating a dish that is at least 5 inches tall. Molly follows Eddie’s lead and chooses to check, but Damaris bets $1,000. Eddie folds, revealing his wildcard task to use rice paper, but Molly chooses not to play it safe. She lays down $1,000, bringing the pot to $3,500. From there, she shares her Wildcard task, and Damaris unveils her own: “Force a Player to Take an Additional Wildcard.” That player, of course, is Molly. Molly’s second Wildcard says, “Make It Stuffed.”
Molly spends the first five minutes of her 20-minute cook time sourcing ingredients in the pantry while her competitors are hard at work at their stations. Eventually, Molly has a revelation and decides to whip up Hong Kong French toast using condensed milk and pistachio paste in place of the traditional peanut butter. She tops her toast with a spicy pistachio dukkah and fresh raspberries skewed on a toothpick to meet her required height. Speed round is judged by Chef A.F. (Amanda Freitag), who is immediately blown away by Molly’s flavors. She’s torn between Damaris’ spicy chicken sandwich and Molly’s toast, but ultimately awards Molly the win and $7,000 going into the next round.
The Make or Break Hand has a buy-in of $1,000, and all three chefs buy their way in. Eric lays down the second Dish and Ingredient card of the game. The Dish card calls for an updated childhood classic, and the must-use ingredient? Guanciale. Wildcards come next, and Molly’s requires that she must use a mortar and pestle for her dish. Eric reminds the players that they must have $2,000 to play in the third round. Molly bets $500, and Damaris raises $500, laying down $1,000. Eddie raises $500 again, putting down $1,500. Molly feels confident in her ability to deliver and puts $1,500 on the table, bulking the pot up to $7,500. Damaris goes all in with another $1,000, and Eddie follows suit with another $500. The pot stands at $9,000. If Molly wins the next hand, neither Eddie nor Damaris will have the money to buy in another hand, and the game is over.
For this round, Eddie whips up a grilled cheese and tomato soup, while Damaris prepares a chili topped with fresh sour cream. Molly sets out to make a Minnesota and Midwestern staple: hot dish. She uses beans, kale and sausage as her base, adds a layer of puff pastry garlic knots and piles the plate high with fresh-grated cheese and parsley. Judge Amanda is delighted by the texture and flavors of Molly’s hot dish, but didn’t immediately recognize it as a childhood staple. In the end, she chooses Damaris’ chili as the winner of this hand, leaving Eddie without money to buy into the third and final round.
So, our two comfort queens buy in with $2,000 each to battle head-to-head in the High Stakes Hand, where the smallest stack has to go all in. Molly has the smallest stack at $4,000, putting this round at $8,000. The third Dish card is “Late Night Snack,” and the one ingredient both chefs must use? Peaches.
Molly’s wildcard is “Five Minutes Less,” and Damaris’ is “Must Use a French Press.” Eric gives them an option to exchange their cards, and Molly’s new one gives her the power to assign a player a new piece of equipment. Damaris switches her original card, too, and her new one forbids her from using a fryer. Molly assigns her competition the dreaded ice cream machine, forcing Damaris to pivot from her original plans.
Damaris has not one but two mishaps with the ice cream machine, forcing her to abandon her sundae plans and serve a peach trifle for her final dish instead. Molly leans on her Chinese roots and prepares an elevated Chinese takeout: egg rolls with lap cheong fried rice and peach sweet-and-sour sauce.
Judge Amanda is enamoured with Damaris’ caramelized peach trifle but finds it to be a bit heavy on the butter. Molly’s Chinese takeout leaves a lasting impression on Amanda with its sweet and savory flavors and crispy texture. Amanda names Molly the winner of Wildcard Kitchen, and the Girl Meets Farm host takes home a $14,500 prize.
Will the culinary poker pro add more prize money to her pot (bank account) on 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing? Only time will tell. Tune in for the premiere on Sunday, April 26 at 8|7c and tune in weekly to find out how Molly fares in her second competition.
