PODCAST · tv
Pack Your Knives
by Count The Dings
Kevin Arnovitz and Tom Haberstroh bring their die-hard fanaticism of the hit TV show Top Chef and combine it with their NBA analytical instincts to draft “fantasy” teams, interview contestants and talk about America’s food and restaurant trends. Follow along weekly as the top cooking competition meets top-shelf analysis. In Season 23, Chef Sara Bradley replaces Kevin as host to provide insight from the mind of former competitor and current kitchen guru.
Episodes
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Savor Charlotte Edition Episode 6 - Andres Kaifer
The sixth segment of a six-part Savor Charlotte series presented by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Tom Haberstroh is joined by Andres Kaifer, who is the partner and executive chef of CustomShop, a Michelin-recommended restaurant in Charlotte as well as the new Charlotte wine bar…
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Track Your Knives Ep 14
It’s the final episode of Track Your Knives for Season 23! In this episode, we finally get to announce the winner of the power rankings, who will be heading to Paducah for dinner at Freight House with Sara Bradley! Carly and Kendra also revisit GOAT status and break out how well everyone ranked…
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Savor Charlotte Edition Ep 5 - Justin Hazelton
The fifth segment of a six-part Savor Charlotte series presented by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Tom Haberstroh is joined by Justin Hazelton, a groundbreaking mixologist from Charlotte whose bar was listed on Esquire’s Top 15 bars in AMERICA. It’s called Lorem Ipsum, and it’s known…
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S23 Ep 14: The Final Toast
We have a winner! Tom and Sara help crown the Top Chef Carolinas champ with a series of stats and anecdotes from the finale. As a mentor to one of the finale contestants and a dining guest at the final table, Sara shares her thoughts on each of the 12 dishes that she ate at the finale. Tom digs...
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Track Your Knives Ep 13
This week, we start off by comparing this final four chefs to other seasons and look at the association between gender ratio at final four with the gender of past seasons' winners. One of Carly and Kendra's leagues drafted the final four chefs in the first five chefs drafted - and the other…
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S23 Ep 13: Plate Expectations
After Sara introduces Tom to the concept of a coupe, the two step up to the plate and take a swing at the penultimate episode of Top Chef Carolinas. Tom H and Sara enjoy the Tom C 20 Questions game and think it should remain a Top Chef staple, but Tom H has some questions for Sara. Starting with:...
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Track Your Knives Ep 12
Track Your Knives, the companion podcast to Pack Your Knives, brings you results of the community's power rankings, fantasy leagues highlights, and data-driven insights. This week, Carly and Kendra discuss how they appreciate the Asheville highlight and Ashleigh Shanti's commentary, plus whether...
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Savor Charlotte Edition Ep 4 - Chayil Johnson
The fourth segment of a six-part Savor Charlotte series presented by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Tom Haberstroh is joined by Chayil Johnson, who you might recognize from his appearance as a guest judge in the season premiere episode of Top Chef Season 23 Carolinas. He’s the…
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S23 Ep 12: Appalachian Celebration
Look at those stares … Tom and Sara recap an episode that presented a wonderful ode to Asheville, NC., and ended with an all-time crashout. It’s time to get out our rule sheet and make a ruling on what happened. Sara shares some intel about what may have gone down and the words that were said —...
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Track Your Knives Ep 11
Track Your Knives, the companion podcast to Pack Your Knives, brings you results of the community's power rankings, highlights from fantasy leagues, and data-driven insights and oddities. This week, Carly and Kendra start off by talking about which chef has entered GOAT territory, debating…
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S23 Ep 11: Down the Rabbit Hole
In this recap, Tom tries not to get salty about the elimination, but he gets peppered with shame anyway. Speaking of salt and pepper, Tom and Sara debate the best duo in the culinary world in an episode full of poor pairings. Sara explains all the ins-and-outs of rabbit cooking while they both...
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Track Your Knives Ep 10
In this week's Track Your Knives, Carly and Kendra rave about a return to the previous pace of a Top Chef episode. Carly gives a history lesson on mise en place relays before they get into the nitty gritty of power rankings. What happened to players' scores? We see a new entrant into the Top Ten!...
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S23 Ep 10: Hook, Line and Dinner
In one of the best episodes of the season, we got a mise en place race AND boats. Mise en place and boats. THAT’S WHAT TOP CHEF DOES. Tom and Sara take some time to bid farewell to a beloved chef and give some flowers to a fan favorite. Tom and Sara has out the proper pronunciation of pecan, and...
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Track Your Knives Ep 9
This week’s Track Your Knives discusses our go to dinner party dishes and how we felt about the Quickfire into Elimination challenge sequence. Carly took a swing in the power rankings that unfortunately didn’t pay off, while two-thirds of power rankers correctly ranked the winner and eliminated...
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Savor Charlotte Edition Ep 3 - Brittany Cochran
The third segment of a six-part Savor Charlotte series presented by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Tom Haberstroh is joined by Charlotte’s own Brittany Cochran who competed on Top Chef Season 23 Carolinas. She’s the executive chef of Stagioni in Myers Park in Charlotte and the only...
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S23 Ep 9: The Ultimate Dinner Party
After debating the crown of condiments, Tom and Sara break down the show’s first episode in Greenville, SC and explain how Last Chance Kitchen production goes down. Though they are facing each other in fantasy, they are both Team Mayo (particularly Duke’s Mayonnaise). With the LCK winner back in...
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Track Your Knives Ep 8
This week’s Track Your Knives starts out with a deep dive of Restaurant Wars analysis. With 23 seasons now, there’s plenty of data to break down! In the land of Power Rankings, Carly and four other players kick butt by correctly placing the elimination chef as the most likely to be eliminated....
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S23 Ep 8: Restaurant Wars
A loaded recap episode this week tackles all the happenings on Top Chef’s iconic Restaurant Wars episode with a special boots-on-the-ground report from Tom, who attended as a takeout guest. Sara and Tom break it all down and rehash Sara’s Restaurant Wars history and whether she’d prefer to be...
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Track Your Knives Ep 7
We're back for episode seven of Track Your Knives, the data-driven Top Chef companion podcast brought to you by Pack Your Knives. This week Carly analyzed how often desserts land chefs in the top or bottom of elimination challenges and we hypothesized on what will happen next week during…
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Savor Charlotte Edition Ep 2 - Callan Buckles
The second segment of a six-part Savor Charlotte series presented by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Tom Haberstroh is joined by Callan Buckles, Executive Chef at Rada, which was named to the New York Times' most recent 50 Best Restaurants in America, to share his journey and why he...
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S23 Ep 7: Desserts Fit for a Queen
Tom and Sara get caught up in the web of mysteries following the events of Episode 7 and Last Chance Kitchen. With Restaurant Wars around the corner and some uncertainty floating in the air, there are a lot of questions left unanswered. Tom and Sara try to make sense of it all. Step aside Top…
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Track Your Knives Ep 6
It was BBQ week at Top Chef! This week we debate western vs. eastern Carolina BBQ (seriously, who hates ketchup?), what we thought of the s'mores challenge and a discussion on how to score it, and dove into how well people's power rankings did this week. As always, enter your scores each week...
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S23 Ep 6: Going Whole Hog
The highly-anticipated Carolina barbecue episode is here. And we have thoughts. Sara shares her barbecue experiences in food competition venues and Tom gives his scouting report on the various bbq joints (did you know you can get burnt ends at the Charlotte airport?). Was this the best episode to...
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Track Your Knives Ep 5
What a week! Turn around now and watch Episode 5 if you haven't already - because wow, do we have feelings about this episode! From the Quickfire format to the Elimination challenge results, Kendra and Carly dive into how well (or shall we say, poorly?) people's power rankings did this week. We...
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S23 Ep 5: Cut and Dry
On this shocking episode, Team Tom survives the US Whitewater Center rapids while Team Sara capsizes into the rough waters. Tom and Sara break down what went wrong for the elminated chef, and take stock in the points standings. Has a new favorite emerged? Find out what Sara thinks is “f—ed up” in...
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Track Your Knives Ep 4
We're back for episode four of Track Your Knives, the data-driven Top Chef companion podcast brought to you by Pack Your Knives. Carly and Kendra are here to break down YOUR power rankings and fantasy league results. This week, in addition to our typical debrief of the episode, we talk about the...
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S23 Ep 4: Pick A Side
Tom got to eat the food! On this episode, Tom shares his experience of eating the Top Chef “Southern Sides” elimination challenge and why the edit was so different than his own meal. With Tristan Epps-Long back on the show, Sara and Tom run through the the surprising underdog story of the...
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Track Your Knives Ep 3
We're back for episode three of Track Your Knives, the data-driven Top Chef companion podcast brought to you by Pack Your Knives. Carly and Kendra are here to break down YOUR power rankings and fantasy league results from episode 3. If you're just finding us, head over to find-topchef.com to…
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S23 Ep 3: True Colors with Jamie Brown
With Supperland hosting Top Chef this week, Tom and Sara took their talents to Supperland in Charlotte to recap the episode. Liver mush. An incomplete dish. Flaccid pork. Live in person, Tom and Sara together break down the episode with the help of Supperland’s Jamie Brown, who welcomed the Top...
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Track Your Knives Ep 2
We're back for episode two of Track Your Knives, the data-driven Top Chef companion podcast brought to you by Pack Your Knives. Carly and Kendra are here to break down YOUR power rankings and fantasy league results from episode 2. If you're just finding us, head over to find-topchef.com to submit...
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S23 Ep 2: Puckerbutt
Tom Haberstroh and Sara Bradley turn up the heat and break down the trip to Puckerbutt with Mei Lin, Smokin’ Ed Currie and Noah Chaimberg of The Heatonist. Sara reveals her shocking distaste for a certain culinary treat as PYK tries to salvage any sponsorship opportunities to the show. We also...
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Track Your Knives Ep 1
This season, PYK is bringing you a second weekly Top Chef podcast. Carly and Kendra will be summarizing and analyzing YOUR power rankings and fantasy leagues! If you haven’t yet, head over to find-topchef.com to sign up and become a subscriber on https://www.packyourknives.com/ to get...
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Savor Charlotte Edition Ep 1 - Chris Coleman
The first segment of a six-part Savor Charlotte with Tom Haberstroh series presented by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Tom sits down with Charlotte chef and food competition guru Chris Coleman of Built On Hospitality who explains why it's a great time for Top Chef to spotlight the...
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S23 Ep 1: Carolina Roots
Tom Haberstroh and new co-host Sara Bradley break down a dramatic season premiere of Top Chef 23 Carolinas, which was released exclusively on Peacock March 3rd. Tom and Sara get to know the contestants and react to one of the biggest meltdowns in Top Chef history, saved by an impromptu rescue...
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Sara Bradley Predicts Season 23
On a hot summer morning, Tom received a long text message from Sara. In it, Sara explained that she nerded out and wrote down a list of dishes she predicts will be on Top Chef Carolinas. From Appalachian fine dining to hyper-seasonal sustainability, Sara drew upon the unique ingredients of the...
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Gail Simmons Welcomes Us to Charlotte
To get us hyped for Season 23 Carolinas, Top Chef judge Gail Simmons joins the pod and coaches Tom about what it's like to "host" Top Chef in your home city (/country). The Canadian shares a bee-hind the scenes incident in Calgary last season and revels in Tom's LeBron comparison. Finally, Tom…
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The First-Ever In-Person PYK Blind Draft
That's right, a blind draft. In person! Top Chef has taken their talents to Tom's home city of Charlotte, which presents a new draft twist. With the possibility that Tom (and Sara) might be attending some challenge tapings in the fall, they got their hands on the contestant list early and drafted...
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Season 23 Carolinas Cast & Trailer Released!
We have a trailer! We have a cast! We have a premiere date! Tom and new co-host Sara Bradley are joined by PYK contributors Carly Levitz and Kendra McClanahan to break it all down and make some big announcements about PYK coverage this season (fantasy leagues and power rankings!). We talk about…
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Season 23 Preview - Welcome Sara Bradley!
With Top Chef Carolinas on tap, we have a big announcement to make. In this special offseason episode, we welcome Top Chef finalist Sara Bradley to the team and preview Season 23 by taking turns predicting challenges in Charlotte, NC and Greenville, SC. Bradley sheds light about her time living…
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Top Chef Reigning Champion Tristen Epps
Making his highly-anticipated debut on Pack Your Knives, Top Chef Season 22 winner Tristen Epps talks to Tom Haberstroh about his epic performance on Top Chef and why the Afro-Caribbean chef is jealous about the upcoming Top Chef Carolinas. The globetrotter explains what Top Chef greatness looks...
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Season 23 Location Announcement!
Tom Haberstroh is over the moon upon discovering that Top Chef Season 23 will be filmed in his own backyard! On Wednesday, it was announced that “Top Chef Carolinas” will have Charlotte, NC as the hub city. Tom sheds light on Charlotte ties to Top Chef alums Tristen Epps, Sara Bradley, Jamie…
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S22 Season Finale: Recap From Elmina
After Tom and Eric watch the season finale at his restaurant in DC, they host the podcast recap in front of a live audience, a joyous crowd that included the winner’s brother and Season 22 contestant Corwin Hemming.Tom and Eric discuss the significance of the winner’s impressive victory and take...
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S22 Ep 13: Viva Milano!
Viva Finale. With one episode to go, Tom (now an honorary Ghanaian citizen) and Eric break down the Milan Finale Part 1 with the help of Carly Levitz who shares her analysis on the history of risotto on Top Chef. Is the curse of risotto overrated, underrated or properly rated? One chef's…
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S22 Ep 12: Foraged in Fire
Ahead of their Season Finale Watch Party announcement (June 12th at Elmina! Get your tickets now!), Tom and Eric wax poetic about the Quarry Lake episode. This hour of Top Chef had it all. Tom and Eric recap what they consider one of the greatest episodes of the series' history. While getting...
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S22 Ep 11: Calgary, Yahoo!
And then there were five. With one episode left before the two-part finale, Eric Adjepong and Tom Haberstroh break down the Calgary episode (Yahoo!). As the contestants wrangle with beef and berries, Tom and Eric weigh in on the most underrated cut of the cow and the best preparation at a...
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S22 Ep 10: From Dep Till Dawn
Last Chance Kitchen is over. Eric Adjepong is back. And the show wraps up Toronto. A returnee comes back into the competition and gets revenge on the competitors. Adjepong shares his thoughts on Tristen at Restaurant Wars and what he took from the last two weeks while he was off air. Tom and Eric...
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S22 Ep 9: Cooking on the Edge with Buddha Lo
Buddha, Kevin and Tom oh my! Back for more, Kevin Arnovitz returns to the stage with Tom Haberstroh to flex their mussels and talk Top Chef post-Restaurant Wars.With no more immunity on the table, they discuss the reintroduction of last year’s rule that Quickfires are now part of judges…
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S22 Ep 8: Restaurant Wars
Restaurant Wars is here and so is Kevin Arnovitz! With Eric Adjepong on film leave, Arnovitz steps back into the chair to break down an emotional and tragic Restaurant Wars episode and offer his big-picture thoughts on the Destination Canada season as a whole. Where is Tristen Epps in the…
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S22 Ep 7: You Wanna Pizza Me?
OK, it’s time to talk about a certain chef in this competition. With the dominant stretch in the middle of Destination Canada, Tom and Eric discuss where the elimination-challenge winner places statistically and stylistically among the all-time greats. Names like Buddha Lo, Kristen Kish and…
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S22 Ep 6: Pickle Me This
Eric Adjepong starts his victory lap trot after another disastrous week for Team Tom. Everyone at PYK is on Team Pickle. Haberstroh and Adjepong unpack the mistake-ridden episode of Top Chef while simultaneously bowing down to the greatness of two of Adjepong's chefs (Tristen and César). Eric…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Kevin Arnovitz and Tom Haberstroh bring their die-hard fanaticism of the hit TV show Top Chef and combine it with their NBA analytical instincts to draft “fantasy” teams, interview contestants and talk about America’s food and restaurant trends. Follow along weekly as the top cooking competition meets top-shelf analysis.
In Season 23, Chef Sara Bradley replaces Kevin as host to provide insight from the mind of former competitor and current kitchen guru.
HOSTED BY
Count The Dings
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Pack Your Knives have?
Pack Your Knives currently has 207 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Pack Your Knives about?
Kevin Arnovitz and Tom Haberstroh bring their die-hard fanaticism of the hit TV show Top Chef and combine it with their NBA analytical instincts to draft “fantasy” teams, interview contestants and talk about America’s food and restaurant trends. Follow along weekly as the top cooking competition...
How often does Pack Your Knives release new episodes?
Pack Your Knives publishes regularly with 207 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Pack Your Knives?
You can listen to Pack Your Knives on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Pack Your Knives?
Pack Your Knives is created and hosted by Count The Dings.
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