Comments from the judges ( Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez, and Joe Bastianich)

Kennedy: "Today I made a pork tenderloin over a parsnip puree with an apple butter gravy and a pickled green apple salad on top."

Judges

"The presentation is off the charts. It's beautiful. As apparent, the apples are in abundance. I can't wait to dive in."

"That dish is delicious - puree is spot on. Silky smooth. Everything you want from a parsnip puree. I think the refreshing thing for me is to taste food of this elegance so early on in the competition."

"The pork tenderloin is underappreciated. You celebrated it. You cooked it perfectly for me. I just would maybe like to see a little bit of heat. Just hit it with a little bit of chile, little chipotle, just because I like spice."

"It's a textbook example of home cooking or comfort food. A very well thought out balanced dish."