Sustainability is on the docket tonight on “America’s Culinary Cup,” as Padma Lakshmi is putting these chefs to the test. The 11 remaining chefs will continue working on the 10 Commandments of cooking. The second one: sustainability! Watch with us tonight during our “America’s Culinary Cup” 2026 live recap and see who got eliminated on “America’s Culinary Cup” tonight with us.
Call Aunt Quail
We got to see these 12 chefs in action last week, as the chefs started taking on these 10 commandments of cooking. The first commandment was all about meat, as they had to do the butchering and then cook up certain cuts, but then cook and plate them in two different ways. In the end, another chef was sent home on “America’s Culinary Cup” season 1.
Now, the remaining 11 chefs will be taking on the second commandment. The chefs will be tasked with transforming farm-fresh produce alongside hyper-sustainable ingredients like ants and mussels into bold, elevated dishes. The fight to be named the winner of “America’s Culinary Cup” season 1 continues tonight, but who got eliminated on “America’s Culinary Cup” tonight? Find out with our Live Recap below!
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD: THIS LIVE RECAP WILL BE UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE, SO DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ SPOILERS.
March 18 Live Recap – Week 3
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No Time to Celebrate
We head back to last week’s elimination, as Padma said, there is no time to celebrate. Their next commandment starts now! The second commandment is sustainability. For this next challenge, the chefs will transform farm‑fresh produce alongside hyper‑sustainable ingredients like ants and mussels into bold, elevated dishes. They will have 60 minutes to create their dishes once back in the kitchen.
The chefs jump in some beautiful Rivian vehicles to gather ingredients on the farm. They all gather everything up and are now back in the Penthouse. They have their produce in hand. We learn that Michael has a green Michelin star, so he may be the one to beat on this one. The two lowest scores in this challenge will cook in a head-to-head challenge, with the loser going home.
For this challenge, they will stagger cook, with Buddha starting first. They will be judged on taste, creativity, presentation, and mastery of the commandment. Each is worth five points, so a total of 20 points for each judge. A possible high score of 60 points.
Cooking Begins
Keith said he is someone who grew up with not much. He’s been in prison, so this is his challenge. He has made stuff from nothing, so he is using the least amount of ingredients here. Malyna is cooking some eggplant, which goes up in big flames! Michael is cooking quail, which the judges said is very hard to cook.
Keith is loving his dish. Mike is struggling with the quail and cooking it.
Tasting on ‘America’s Culinary Cup’
Things will be staggered, so time for the judges to taste the dishes:
- Buddha – Michael said he developed a good flavor of the leek. Wylie said the soup is great. Wanted more crunch. Padma said some dishes are just soft. She thought he did exactly what they wanted them to do with this commandment.
- Michael – Wylie said this puree is really cool. The breast of the bird is rare. Michael said his is rare too, but the rest of the plate is great. Padma said he did himself a disservice, as the bird is raw, but the rest of the plate is great.
- Keith – Wylie said the texture of the soup is great, but not a lot of leek. Padma loved the consistency of his soup. It tastes too oily.
- Diana – Wylie said she could have left a few ingredients out. Michael said he has to disagree. She brought all of the ingredients together. Padma thinks it’s a beautiful dish, but it needs more lobster.
- Katie – Padma said the sauce is beautiful. The mussels are plump and juicy, cooked as they should be. Wylie said he loved it. Michael said she is going to be tough to beat.
- Malyna – Padma said that green sauce is delicious. She treated the eggplant like a steak, and it was cooked and seasoned to perfection.
More Tasting
- Emily – Michael said it’s delicious and has nothing negative to say about the dish.
- Cara – The dumplings are big. Wylie said it was great. It was simple in its presentation, but it delivered on another level. Padma said thank you for a job well done.
- Matt – Wylie said he made a beautiful, elegant dish. He did get a little sand in his scallop. Michael wanted the scallops seared on both sides. Padma said the dish is beautiful, but she has sand in her scallop, too.
- Beverly – Wylie said everything was well-balanced and really delicious. Michael said he loved the texture of the yogurt. Padma said she loved the tartness of the tofu. She has nothing bad to say about this dish, and it’s very sustainable.
- Chris – Wylie said there are a lot of delicious components in this dish, so he could have left some of them out. Padma said the lack of seasoning on the squash is worrying her.
Results
The judges have tasted all of the dishes tonight on “America’s Culinary Cup.” Here are the results:
- Beverly Kim – 59 (one point away from perfection)
- Katie Button – 58
- Cara Stadler – 56
- Matt Peters – 54
- Buddha Lo – 54
- Diana Davila – 49
- Emily Yuen – 47
- Malyna Si – 46
- Chris Morgan – 43
- Keith Corbin – 35
- Michael Diaz de Leon – 32
Beverly is the winner with almost a perfect score tonight. For the bottom two, it’s a battle between Keither and Michael.
Head-to-Head Challenge on ‘America’s Culinary Cup’
For this head-to-head challenge, they will have to use some of the most commonly wasted foods in America, like onion skins, carrot peelings, and stale bread. They will have one hour to create a standout dish with these scraps.
The chefs head to the pantry, and they get started on their dish. Keith said the dish came to him when he started cooking.
Padma thought Michael wouldn’t use a protein because of his quail issues, and she was right. He is going with a vegetarian dish here. The chefs both create their dish and are happy with it, but what will the judges think?
Tasting & Results on ‘America’s Culinary Cup’
The plates are done and time to taste:
- Michael – Wylie said the puree is interesting. The carrots and beets are not singing like they should. Michael said the cook on the beets and carrots was good. He liked how he spoke to the sustainability aspect. Padma said she loved the puree.
- Keith – Michael said there is a lot he appreciates about this dish. Wylie said this was delicious and really well-cooked. Padma said she wanted more saffron.
Results – Padma said they are both creative and inventive. All three judges thought Keith’s dish was better, so he is safe, and Michael is eliminated! He is the green Michelin chef and the one to beat on this challenge, but he went home!
CBSWhat do you think of the results on “America’s Culinary Cup” season 1 tonight?
