Brioche French Toast with Bananas Foster (Food Network 100 Cooks Finale Dish)

Golden, buttery brioche French toast meets rich homemade Bananas Foster in this over-the-top breakfast that tastes like it came straight from a restaurant.

Every slice is soaked in a cinnamon-maple custard, cooked until perfectly golden, then stacked high with warm caramelized bananas between each layer before being finished with powdered sugar.

This isn't just one of my favorite breakfast recipes—it's the Bananas Foster Brioche French Toast I made during the finale of Food Network's 100 Cooks. It's a dish that reminds me to trust my instincts in the kitchen, even when the pressure couldn't be higher.

The Story Behind This Recipe

I still can't believe I actually made it to the finale of 100 Cooks.

Before I ever stepped onto that set, I kept telling myself, "I'm either getting eliminated in the first episode... or I'm making it all the way to the end."

Well... I made it to the end.

The finale started with eight cooks remaining. Terry announced that we'd be cooking an entire day's worth of food... breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a challenge ball determining the twist for each round. After every meal, more cooks would be eliminated until only two remained to cook the final dinner.

No pressure... just a quarter of a million dollars on the line and I had already made it THIS FAR.

When Terry pulled the breakfast challenge ball and revealed "Stacked or Stuffed," my brain immediately went to French toast.

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day, and honestly, it's probably my favorite thing to cook. I had been debating between biscuits and gravy or French toast, but the second I heard "stacked," I knew exactly where I was going.

I just needed something that would make it special.

Then it hit me...

Bananas Foster.

Instead of simply pouring it over the top, I decided to layer the Bananas Foster between each slice of French toast to build one dramatic breakfast stack.

I was completely in my element.

By this point in the competition, I had cooked in that kitchen so many times that it finally felt familiar. Even with $215,000 on the line, I felt calm because this was a dish I could practically make with my eyes closed... although let's not actually test that theory.

While the French toast cooked, I started thinking the dish needed something salty. Bacon seemed like the obvious answer.

I tossed some bacon into the oven at 400°F for about 20 minutes because it would be effortless to add alongside the plate if I decided it needed it.

As my Bananas Foster simmered, Nick walked over, tasted the sauce, and told me it was delicious.

Huge win.

Then he looked at my French toast and said it was cooking beautifully.

Another win.

If you watched the episode, you probably noticed I was laser-focused at this point. My only goal was getting that dish onto the plate exactly how I pictured it.

Then Alex Guarnaschelli came over.

This part actually didn't make the final edit on television.

She asked what I was making, and when I explained the dish, she gave me her approval and said she was excited to see how it turned out.

I mentioned I had bacon cooking in the oven, but honestly, I didn't think it belonged on the plate. The challenge was Stacked, and the bacon almost felt like an afterthought instead of part of the story.

Alex looked at me and simply said...

"Nah... I wouldn't add it."

Well... if Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli tells you not to add the bacon...

...you don't add the bacon.

So I listened.

The bacon got set aside (don't worry—the culinary team enjoyed it later), and I plated exactly what I envisioned: a towering stack of brioche French toast layered with Bananas Foster.

Y'all...

I was genuinely proud of it.

I couldn't wait to get it in front of the judges.

Then came judging.

Nick sliced straight through the center of the stack, almost like cutting into a perfectly cooked steak, opened it up, and smiled.

"You definitely nailed the stacked portion of the challenge."

YES.

Then Alex looked at it...

and said,

"Its picture perfect"

YES!

...but then....

"I could really use a salty element with the dish."

...

I almost laughed.

Actually... I did laugh.

Because I had literally taken her advice and left the bacon off the plate.

The irony of that moment wasn't lost on me, and if you watched closely, you probably saw my reaction.

Even so, I felt proud.

I had trusted my instincts, cooked the dish I believed in, and presented something that truly represented me.

Then came elimination.

We said goodbye to my brother on the show, Jeezil (@jeezlis), who makes an incredible BBQ sauce. We also lost my sweet friend Kim (@homecookvibe), whose Jamaican-inspired cooking is unbelievable, and Johnnie(@johnnie_eats), one of the funniest, most talented cooks I've ever met.

Watching them leave was hard.

Then the countdown continued.

Five cooks remained.

When my number #95 was still standing on that board, the emotions completely hit me.

I couldn't stop the tears.

Not because I had made the Top 5...

...but because I realized how different my life looked compared to just a few years earlier.

If I hadn't taken a chance on myself...

If I hadn't started sharing recipes...

If I hadn't stepped outside my comfort zone...

I wouldn't have been standing on a Food Network stage encouraging other people to chase their dreams too.

It was one of the proudest moments of my life.

But there wasn't much time to celebrate.

Because somehow...

#95 had survived breakfast.

Lunch was next.

And I was only one cook away from making it to the final cook of the entire competition.