A ‘Top Chef’ favorite from Durham hears the dreaded words. Here’s what happened
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Little Bull chef Oscar Diaz was eliminated from Top Chef: Carolinas May 4.
- Diaz won an impromptu s’mores challenge and impressed judges with barbacoa collard greens.
- Diaz had declined other reality cooking offers for years before accepting Top Chef.
A Durham chef’s unforgettable run on “Top Chef” has come to an end.
Little Bull chef and co-owner Oscar Diaz had to pack his knives on the “Top Chef: Carolinas” episode that aired Monday, May 4, ending a memorable string of episodes for one of the Triangle’s culinary leaders.
Diaz stumbled with a take on Sancocho, ending up in the bottom of the season’s ninth episode. The judges complained too much turmeric had made the dish bitter. To make matters worse, Diaz was eliminated in the first episode after “Last Chance Kitchen,” which offers a lifeline to dismissed chefs.
‘Top Chef: Carolinas’
“Top Chef: Carolinas” is the popular reality cooking show’s 23rd season and was mostly filmed in and around Charlotte. Diaz is the second Triangle chef to find recent success in the show, following M Tempura chef Savannah Miller’s finalist run in 2024.
In his season, Diaz let his personality shine and emerged as one of the most entertaining chefs on the show. He showed a playful and creative side in his cooking, winning an impromptu s’mores challenge in the Whole Hog episode, skillfully cooking with very hot peppers in the chili episode and most recently showcasing his culinary identity, blending Southern and Mexican cuisines.
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The judges praised a collard green barbacoa dish in Restaurant Wars, a fan-favorite episode, as one of the very best dishes of the season.
Diaz had some notable missteps as well, including a soggy bread pudding, inspired by the cinnamon-sugar Moravian Cake, one of North Carolina’s signature desserts.
While missing out on the crown, Diaz made it deep in the competition and remained true to himself. He said that was his goal going into “Top Chef.”
“I didn’t have a game plan, I didn’t practice,” Diaz said in a phone interview before the show aired. “I just wanted to shut it all out of my mind and represent myself well.”
Diaz said that he has been recruited to do numerous reality cooking shows over the years, but has always declined. When “Top Chef” came up, he said people close to him urged him to make the leap.
“I’m glad that people pushed me,” he said. “I don’t know how many times you get to do something like this in life.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 10:48 PM with the headline "A ‘Top Chef’ favorite from Durham hears the dreaded words. Here’s what happened."
