Top Chef: Durham chef debuts with ‘Crazy Brazy’ dish, Raleigh chef guest judges
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Top Chef Season 23 opener appeared early Tuesday on Peacock.
- Oscar Diaz made deconstructed purple sweet potato hash with chorizo and agave.
- Raleigh chef Cheetie Kumar guest-judged and advised on sweet potato varieties.
The new Carolinas season of “Top Chef” dropped Tuesday, featuring one of Raleigh’s top chefs as a guest judge.
The first episode of Top Chef’s Season 23 appeared early Tuesday on the NBC streaming service Peacock. This is a week before the official broadcast premiere on Bravo. The season was filmed last summer in Charlotte and Greenville, South Carolina.
Durham chef Oscar Diaz of Little Bull and Aaktun is among the cheftestants this season, representing the Bull City and North Carolina.
The first episode put a spotlight on two North Carolina staples: NASCAR racing and sweet potatoes, featuring stock car champions Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch and five varieties of sweet potato.
Diaz announced himself with authority, showing off a big personality and major cooking chops.
The Quickfire
In the Quickfire, his team made shrimp ceviche with avocado aguachile and crab salad in the middle of the infield at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson was impressed by the intense coldness of the ceviche Diaz and his team pulled off in the summer heat, surrounded by fast cars and asphalt.
Raleigh surprise
In a surprise bonus for Triangle fans, the elimination challenge included a familiar face. James Beard-nominated chef Cheetie Kumar, co-owner of Raleigh restaurant Ajja, appeared in the premiere as a guest judge.
“I did a thing… a few months ago,” Kumar posted on Instagram Monday night. “I went to Charlotte to be a guest judge on the first episode of the new season of Top Chef....It was a nice surprise to see Oscar Diaz as a contestant…can’t wait to see how the season unfolds! Also, judging was harder than I expected it to be!”
In the episode, Kumar offer insightful nuggets on sweet potato varieties and the successes and pitfalls of the contestants’ dishes.
Elimination round
For his elimination-round dish, Diaz showed off what he’s all about, blending flavors from Mexico and the American South. Given just an hour to make a dish highlighting the purple majesty sweet potato, Diaz made a deconstructed hash, putting a heavy char on the rich colorful tuber, topped with agave, chorizo and pasilla salsa.
“It was just a crazy brazy kind of dish,” Diaz told the judges.
They agreed, saying the dish was really good but ultimately not earning any hardware this episode.
Recap
Overall, Diaz excelled in the first episode, showcasing the spontaneity and creativity that have made him one of the Triangle’s most acclaimed chefs in recent years. And he avoided the dreaded curse of being the first chef eliminated.
The downside of watching a premiere a week early is we have to wait until March 16 for the second episode. Until then, “Top Chef” fans.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 3:14 PM.
