Akosua’s ‘Fante Deliciousness’ has won Star Chef of the Day, while Michael landed in the bottom two after the Ampesi Challenge.

Episode Three of Big Chef Season Five served up confidence, surprises and another tense bottom-two moment as the young contestants took on the Ampesi Challenge.

While Michael confidently rated his meal, ‘Double Trouble’, a solid nine out of ten, it was Akosua’s ‘Fante Deliciousness’ that ultimately stole the show, earning her the coveted Star Chef of the Day title for the first time.

For the third challenge of the season, judges Chef Gigi and Chef Michael tasked the contestants with putting their own spin on Ampesi, a popular Ghanaian meal typically made with boiled yam, plantain or cocoyam and served with a sauce or stew.

The contestants had 30 minutes to get their meals ready and prove they could turn the familiar local dish into something worthy of impressing the judges.

As the cooking got underway, the judges moved around the kitchen, checking on the contestants and monitoring their progress, while host Michelle Agyekum interacted with the young chefs to find out what they were preparing.

Once time was up, the focus shifted from cooking to tasting.

This week, however, Chef Gigi and Chef Michael added an interesting twist to the judging process by asking the contestants to taste their own meals and give themselves a score.

Michael needed little convincing.

After tasting his dish, which he had named ‘Double Trouble’, the young chef confidently gave his own creation a “solid nine out of ten.”

His confidence, however, did not translate into the result he had hoped for.

Despite being pleased with what he had prepared, ‘Double Trouble’ was not strong enough to keep Michael away from the bottom two.

The result marked Michael’s second appearance in the bottom two since the competition began.

He was joined by another familiar face.

Yayra once again found herself among the least impressive contestants of the day, marking her third time in the bottom two in three challenges.

While Michael and Yayra faced another tense moment at the bottom, it was a completely different story for Akosua.

Her Ampesi dish, aptly named ‘Fante Deliciousness’, stood out among the contestants’ meals and impressed the judges enough to earn her the Star Chef of the Day title.

The victory marked Akosua’s first Star Chef win of the season, adding her name to the growing list of contestants who have taken the top spot in the Big Chef kitchen.

From Michael’s confidently rated ‘Double Trouble’ ending in the bottom two to Yayra facing yet another close call and Akosua celebrating her first win, the Ampesi Challenge proved that confidence alone may not always be enough to impress the Big Chef judges.

As the competition progresses, the young chefs will have to continue raising their game, with every challenge presenting another opportunity to rise to the top or find themselves fighting to stay in the competition.

Big Chef Season Five airs every Sunday at 4:00 pm on Joy Prime, while JP Diaries airs every Tuesday at 5:00 pm on Joy Prime.

Big Chef Season Five is sponsored by Frytol, Fortune Spread, Gino, Didi Shito, Sankofa Natural Spices, Ginny Mayonnaise Premium, LEF Signature, Wisdom Salt, Roch Electronics, Compu Ghana and Reedy Vitamin C.