Top Chef season 13 debuts with a two-night premiere on Wednesday, December 2, and Thursday, December 3, at 10 p.m. on Bravo.
The
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio are back, alongside Gail Simmons, Richard Blais, and Emeril Lagasse, who serve as judges during competition
This being California, expect the culinary hopefuls to cook for a host of famous faces. Already announced are one-time rap sensation MC Hammer and supermodel Chrissy Teigen. Guest chefs and industry veterans taking turns as judges and mentors include Hugh Acheson, Max Silvestri, Ludo Lefebvre, Dana Cowin, Michael Cimarusti, José Andrés, John Besh, Art Smith, Javier Plascencia, Antonia Lofaso, Michael Voltaggio, Jacques LaMerde, Bill Chait, Jonathan Waxman, Martin Yan, Adam Fleischman, Traci Des Jardins, and Hubert Keller.
Miami has a particularly strong reason to stay tuned this
Angelina Bastidas, the 25-year-old wunderkind who recently took over the kitchen in Piripi, only to suddenly depart, is competing on the show. The Cordon Bleu graduate worked in several Miami restaurants including Area 31, the Bazaar, Taperia Raca, and Tongue & Cheek and says her favorite simple fall dessert recipe is an olive oil citrus sponge cake with bee pollen, creme
Jeremy Ford, the executive chef at Matador Room, is also representing us this season. The 30-year-old chef lists his formal culinary education as the School of Hard Knocks. He started working in kitchens at age 16 and has amassed an impressive resume that includes L'Orangerie under the helm of executive chef Christophe Eme in Los Angeles and Patina with Joachim
Other
Past Top Chef contestants from Miami include Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth (co-owners of Root & Bone in New York City), Carla Pellegrino (Touche), Howie Kleinberg (Bulldog Barbecue), and Bret