I watch a lot of Top Chef each season, but Top Chef Masters is really one that pulls my interest. Last year’s season included a number of great culinary masters, including chefs Hubert Keller, Michael Chiarello, and Rick Bayless. This season looks to be another fantastic competition. Yesterday, the top-level cheftestants were announced.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the chosen few are:
Jody Adams – Rialto Restaurant, Cambridge, MA
Govind Armstrong – 8 oz Burger Bar, Los Angeles, CA
Graham Elliot Bowles – Graham Elliot Restaurant, Chicago, IL
Jimmy Bradley – The Red Cat, New York, NY
David Burke – David Burke Townhouse, New York, NY
Wylie Dufresne – wd~50, New York, NY
Susan Feniger – Street, Los Angeles, CA
Debbie Gold – The American Restaurant, Kansas City, MO
Carmen Gonzalez – Chef Consultant, New York, NY
Maria Hines – Tilth, Seattle, WA
Susur Lee – Madeline’s, Toronto, Canada
Ludo Lefebvre – Ludo Bites, Los Angeles, CA
Tony Mantuano – Spiaggia, Chicago, IL
Rick Moonen – Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV
Mark Peel – Campanile, Los Angeles, CA
Monica Pope – t’afla, Houston, TX
Thierry Rautureau – Rover’s, Seattle, WA
Marcus Samuelsson – The Red Rooster, New York, NY
Ana Sortun – Oleana, Cambridge, MA
Rick Tramonto – TRU, Chicago, IL
Jerry Traunfeld – Poppy, Seattle, WA
Jonathan Waxman – Barbuto, New York, NY
A big congrats to local Pacific Northwest chefs Jerry Traunfeld, Thierry Rautureau, and Maria Hines for making the cut! Good luck, all!
~Jennifer Heigl
*Photo courtesy of BravoTV.com.