“Top Chef” begins a brand new season on March 13 and, as so typically occurs, among the star contestants hail from the Bay Space.
On Season 22, viewers will meet Anna “Anya” El-Wattar who labored as chef at San Francisco’s Birch & Rye. This Michelin-recognized restaurant in Noe Valley served elevated Russian delicacies impressed by the chef’s childhood in Russia, like einkorn pelmeni dumplings and spelt khachapuri. The eatery shuttered in 2024, with El-Wattar saying it was arduous to remain afloat utilizing high-end substances and time-intensive strategies.
Then there’s Vincenzo Loseto, a New York native who’s the chef de delicacies at Press in St. Helena. Run by vintner Samantha Rudd, the Napa Valley eatery focuses on regionally farmed substances and runs an aggressive wine program, with reportedly the biggest assortment of Napa wines on the planet. The Michelin Information awarded Press one star for its “contemporary, Californian dishes such as Kusshi oysters with whipped horseradish; citrus-cured snapper with yuzu curd; and white truffle risotto that is simply sophisticated.”
Of the 15 contestants, a 3rd additionally hails from California — Kat Turner, government chef and companion at Extremely Doubtless in L.A. In line with Resy, Turner just isn’t solely a chef however an “art school grad (who) sported a platinum blonde mohawk, toured with The Smashing Pumpkins as their private chef, and worked as a go-go dancer, among other things.”
This yr’s “Top Chef” will see the cooks in addition to judges Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons head as much as Canada to compete. Filming areas embrace Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Canmore in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains and Prince Edward Island.
The grand prize is the largest but — an opportunity for $250,000 plus $125,000 in flight credit on Delta Air Strains. The final word winner can even obtain an invite to headline a dinner on the James Beard Home in New York and likewise current on the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago.
“Top Chef” premieres on Thursday, March 13, at 9 p.m. on Bravo. Episodes will probably be accessible to stream the following day on Peacock.
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