For me season 8 Jamie, i felt she should have gone home instead of Jen Carrol and then Josie in season 10.

Top Chef 25 would be a VERY strong chance for another all stars season, with Gregory saying he would be open to competing one more time I could see us getting some true legends back if scheduling works.. who do you see in that case coming back?

Knowing how they cast I could see this being a group:

Guys: Massimo (22), Soo (21), Damarr (19), Shota (18), Sheldon (14), Isaac (13), Gregory (12), Doug (12), Edward (9),

Woman: Sara (19), Evelyn (19), Jamie (18), Sara (18), Carrie (15), Shirley (13), Nina (11), Beverly (9), Nyesha (9)

Re-watching season 16: It's very strange to me how the contestants treat Brother when he gets in from LCK. Of course I understand not being thrilled with a new person entering, and all rooting for Nini to come back, but the hostility towards him and weird jubilation at his elimination just felt cruel to me. 1) He's still a person and fellow chef and 2) haven't they all watched the previous season? I would expect them to know Brother and have respect for him going in.

The whole attitude felt weirdly cliquey and mean.

I can't speak to whether or not he deserved to come back in and be eliminated so quickly without tasting the food, but the attitude from the others felt really off. It's like they all agreed that he was NOT part of the season 16 team. Like they all bonded over rejecting him. I found it especially confusing because Brother always struck me as quite a good-natured and likable guy, talented yet humble... He definitely deserved way better.

EDIT: Just listened to the PYK podcast episode with him. He spoke about how the second ejection from the show brought up some serious trauma for him at the time, and why he made the decision not to return to LCK again. At the same time, it sounded like he's doing much better now. He also spoke about the S16 chefs with a lot of graciousness and understanding, and said he never felt anyone was directly disrespectful to him. Classy guy.

Just saw Gregory Gourdet outside my hotel in Healdsburg, CA with a group of other chefs that I couldn’t identify. Can anyone identify other folks in these bad pics? The shuttle driver said they were filming in town but I’d heard nothing.

ETA: Joe Sasto and friends were at breakfast this morning! https://imgur.com/a/tZKjmYG

There is a Food & Wine Festival in Saugatuck, MI (Southwest coast of Michigan) that Kristen Kish will be hosting and doing a meet and greet + special fireside chat for the VIPS! Its November 5-7, 2026. Every guest will also get a signed copy of her new book! I cannot WAIT for this one of a kind experience.

KK is coming back to West Michigan for the Saugatuck Food & Wine Festival!

Planning my 30th! Going for the weekend. Got Bouchon bistro Friday night and alpha omega on Saturday afternoon any other places or wineries? Thank you in advance.

For me it was Brian Voltaggio. I like Micheal but i thought Brian should have won season 6.

Of all the seasons of Top Chef, can you name your favorite contestant of all seasons? Mine; Sheldon Simeon season 10 and season 14. Who’s yours?

Whyyyyy do they need to keep this BEEP-BEEP-BEEP, BEEP-BEEP-BEEP, BEEP-BEEP-BEEP part of the show. Makes my dog go crazy? Im sure this is a "me" problem but I just dont understand the value of keeping that when you're already doing a countdown, etc.

Is anyone going to Melissa King's book tour? I'll be in New York where she's talking to Padma and I'm soooooo excited

https://www.chefmelissaking.com/book-tour

As I’m rewatching all seasons of TC, I never realized how many eps Tony Bourdain appeared in. Since his passing I haven’t watched much with him in it bc it’s just too sad. Did they ever do a tribute episode or something to acknowledge or memorialize his heavy presence within the franchise? If not they should have. Would have been nice to see an ode to what he brought to the show. I know he and Eric were besties, and he’s the one who found him, so it might just be too painful.

On another note…do they make the stew room uncomfortable on purpose? I think I remember someone saying it’s hot in there. Also, for season 8 they really ran the chefs ragged with sleep deprivation and being overworked and sitting in hard chairs for hours does not seem very humane. 🤨

Are they just favorites of Tom, Gail and Padma/Kristen? Having just watched the first 22 seasons straight through, it seems Stephanie, Blais, Gregory, Nina and Ed have shown up the most. Sam has been back a few times as well. So it’s clearly not just winners.

I do NOT remember this scene on the museum challenge when Jen basically yells at the judges for being the losing team, arguing with Tom. The look on their faces when Jen said her dish was not bland. And Antonia calling Jamie out for not duct taping her finger and pushing through instead of going to get 2 stitches when she cut her finger. Jen saying it “made no difference that Jamie wasn’t here” yikes! 😳This team brought the drama! 🎭

I always loved top chef and I watched some of the seasons while they were airing but most of the seasons I watched after they were already done. Finally I finished the last season today. I know there are many other top chef series from other countries and also some like juniors or amateurs or desserts. Which ones would you recommend as a must watch for an original main series fan? (any familiar faces would help too)

I’m sorry if this seems like an unnecessarily negative post but would love to get opinions on contestants that really get under your skin! Whether it’s based on their food, abilities, personality?

On the heels of the recent Nick vs Nina post, I highly recommend everyone watch King George’s.

The film follows chef Georges Perrier, and his Philadelphia-based restaurant Le Bec-Fin. The restaurant was considered to be one of the best in the United States, but the chef shuttered the location after over 40 years of operation. The film's focus is on a chef past their prime, but highlights the close relationship he has mentoring his apprentice Nick Elmi.

It also has tons of guest appearances from fan favorites of top chef such as Eric Riper, Daniel Boloud, a young Eddie Konrad, and more.

You don’t have to like Nick’s top chef performance, or like him but this is a great companion piece that gives some context to why he is the way he is.

Nick aside, it’s a great film for food lovers of all kinds.

I just finished season 11 and besides reigniting the memory that Nicholas is a ****, it’s a fascinating story about how a white man can “fail up” and a Black woman can not win despite near excellence.

I’m struck by Nicholas’ own comments about Nina: “she rarely makes mistakes,” which ignited my contemplation that she required perfection to continue in the competition.
This in contrast to Nicholas himself being known for his mistakes is striking.

Ofc there is the controversy that he didn’t resign when asked with immunity. I am also intrigued that it is likely a woman or oppressed person would have taken that more humble approach, but he did not, forever changing outcomes for everyone.

She has been a mainstay in Chicago for her work at Monteverde. Excited to see how this new spot opens up more creative ownership for her!

I'm in the US and would love to watch some of the international versions. Mexico, Canada, the North Africa ones, really anything. Any idea where they can be watched?

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Hi everyone! Paula Endara here, TC Season 22, Beard Foundaiton Bootcamp Alum, and Executive Chef at The Manchester Sky.

Hi everyone! Paula Endara here, TC Season 22. Launching an Ask me Anything session ahead of my LA pop- up with Henwill gin. Ask me anything about food, inspo, and why I like putting myself under pressure while cooking.

I'm a James Beard Foundation bootcamp alum originally from Quito, Ecuador. Having been in the hospitality industry for 13+ years, I've specialized in avant-garde cuisine at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián, Spain. These experiences also led me to working at a nomad restaurant concept in Quito in collaboration with Amazonian farmers, as well as founding Roots Restaurant in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Ultimately throughout my time as a chef, I've held a major focus on identity, culture, and sustainability while advocating for community-centered sourcing and improving local food systems. I continue to carry these core values into my work as Executive Chef at The Manchester in KY.

Ask me anything about:

What's the day to day like on a season? Which challenges were the hardest? What it's like cooking in KY? What about LA? My favorite restaurants? Ecuadorian food? How I got into cooking? Or just want to talk food? Looking forward to hearing from you all!

I’m in LA next week, can find more info on what’s going on here :CLICK here for tickets !

Is this totally normal in restaurants? Maybe my very health conscious Mom has rubbed off on me more than I realized and most people don’t think this is a big deal at all, but I shudder whenever I see it. From what I understand, heat and plastic do not go together in any circumstance, even if it is technically “food grade”! The risk of “migration” of microplastics and chemical additives is much higher when there is heat involved. Am I crazy?

I am currently watching older seasons, so maybe with the increase in knowledge about the potential harm things are done differently now. But it’s so common for there to be like 5 mins left and they are rushing to get packed and pour simmering liquids into Gladware.