by Cathy Martin
All eyes will be on the Queen City when the latest season of Bravo’s Top Chef premieres March 3 on Peacock. The majority of the show was filmed in Charlotte, with several episodes filmed in Greenville, South Carolina.
Among the 15 emerging chefs featured on the show is Charlotte’s own Brittany Cochran, executive chef at Stagioni. Durham-based Oscar Diaz is the only other North Carolina chef competing this season. (Keep scrolling for the full list of “cheftestants” on Season 23.)
Season 23 will debut with a quickfire challenge at Charlotte Motor Speedway with NASCAR veterans Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. Other guest stars appearing this season are Charlotte native comedian Fortune Feimster, Southern Charm’s Craig Conover and Madison LeCroy, and actress Melissa Benoist of Supergirl. Top Chef alums Jamie Lynch of Church and Union and Ashleigh Shanti of Asheville’s Good Hot Fish also return.
More locals to look out for: Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel (Supperland, Leluia Hall, etc.), Greg and Subrina Collier (Uptown Yolk and others), Lewis Donald (Sweet Lew’s BBQ), Eric Ferguson (L’Ostrica), Meherwan Irani (Botiwalla), Chayil Johnson (Community Matters Café), Joe and Katie Kindred (Albertine, Kindred etc.).
Debuting in 2006, the hit TV series has led the pack among cooking shows, attracting top talent from across the U.S. and beyond.
“We have great talent — we actually bring on chefs,” host/producer Tom Colicchio says when asked about the show’s longevity. Colicchio spoke with SouthPark Magazine while filming in Charlotte last fall. “And I think also it’s authentic. … From what I understand, a lot of these cooking shows, they pick ahead of time who’s going to win and reverse engineer it. We are legit. And the decision as to who stays and who goes, that’s entirely up to the judges.”
“I think when we first started, we were doing something that was never done before until that point,” adds host/producer Gail Simmons. “We maintain a standard of authenticity and quality, and we’re very true to the culture of restaurants, first and foremost. It’s not about showmanship. It’s not about us as the judges. It’s about the people and the place.”
Simmons also cites the level of talent showcased on the show. “I think our chefs are really what the show’s about, and their stories and their narratives, and I think they have changed. Not only has their talent just gotten better and higher over the seasons, but it’s become such a more diverse show, and it tells such broader stories — and they’re really important, relevant stories to the way we live and eat now.”
Host Kristen Kish, a former Top Chef contestant, says the show has managed to remain trusted and a serious competition while also being entertaining and fun. “Because the heart and the soul of Top Chef remains the same, which are the contestants that choose to leave their everyday life to come try their hand at this.”
For the first time, the “cheftestants” include a married couple and identical twin brothers. Here’s the full list:
Sieger Bayer – Chicago
Jassi Bindra – Houston
Sherry Cardoso – Brooklyn, New York
Brittany Cochran – Charlotte, North Carolina
Oscar Diaz – Durham, North Carolina
Brandon Dearden – Hamilton, Montana
Jonathan Dearden – Alexandria, Virginia
Duyen Ha – Los Angeles
Jennifer Lee Jackson – Suttons Bay/Detroit
Anthony Jones – Alexandria, Virginia
Day Anaїs Joseph – Atlanta
Laurence Louie – Quincy, Massachusetts
Rhoda Magbitang – Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Justin Tootla – Suttons Bay/Detroit
Nana Araba Wilmot – Cherry Hill, New Jersey
The chefs are competing for a $250,000 grand prize, plus other perks including a feature in Food & Wine magazine, an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and a chance to headline their own dinner at the James Beard House in New York. But even chefs who don’t take home the grand prize have the opportunity to win cash prizes totaling more than $150,000 throughout the season.
Top Chef Season 23 premieres March 3 on Peacock, Bravo’s YouTube channel and VOD and airs starting March 9 on Bravo. Starting Monday, March 16, the series will move to its regular time slot at 9:30 p.m. on Bravo. Read about the Charlotte tailor who played a part behind the scenes.
