When Wylie DuFresne likes your sideburns, you have some impressively coiffed sideburns. And if you call yourself a molecular gastronomist, you have to have sideburns. Cheftestant Richard found out how important mutton chops can be in a quick fire challenge the hard way. Oily chicken my bootie. DuFresne just admired Kiwi Mark’s sideburns.

Although men’s facial hair is always an important topic on Top Chef, the moment that stuck out for me during was cheftestant Erik’s comments about being a “soul chef” as opposed to being a chef with no soul as molecular gastronomists like Richard and DuFresne are. Is anyone else having a Marcel v. Illan flashback?

Claiming that using new technical innovations (appliances!) and techniques removes the soul from cooking is ridiculous. Perhaps Erik, Ilan, and other innovation averse chefs would like to cook by campfire? That would really prove how much soul. they cook with. For an eloquent defense of the new approach to cooking was presented by Ferran Adria of El Bulli, Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck, Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Per Se, and writer Harold McGee in The Guardian in 2006. Innovation and soul can co-exist so it’s time to end that debate.