Top Chef

Six Chicago Chefs to Compete on ‘Top Chef: Texas’

Top Chef returns in November.
Top Chef returns in November. Photo: courtesy of Facebook

Wow! We’ve been hearing rumors for a while now about chefs who may or may not be contestants on the ninth season of Top Chef, but we never could predicted so many would actually make the cut. Of the 29 chefs, six of them will be from Chicago, which is more than any other city in the country. Hell, there are more Chicago chefs than there are chefs from the entire state of Texas — an odd occurrence considering that the ninth season takes place in the Lone Star state. So, who made the cut?

Beverly Kim (Aria Restaurant), Richie Farina (MOTO), Sarah Grueneberg (Spiaggia), Chris Jones (MOTO) Heather Terhune (Sable Kitchen and Bar), and Chuy Valencia (Chilam Balam) will all be featured in the show. We’re excited to see that the contestants are from such varied places around town. Well done. Oh, and there are some wonderful audition videos from each contestant. (We now know never to mess with Heather Terhune.)

Of course, the reason there are so many chefs is due to the fact that about half of them will be cut quickly. Only 16 will actually compete.

The first episode will premiere on Wednesday, November 2 at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo TV. Tom Colicchio will return as head judge, as will Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons. What else can you expect? Well, how about Emeril Lagasse as a series judge. Also, look out for guest appearnaces by Charlize Theron, Pee-wee Herman, Cat Cora, John Besh, Tim Love, and Patti LaBelle.

Chefs Competing in Top Chef: Texas

- Nyesha Arrington, 28 - Los Angeles, Calif., Wilshire Restaurant.
- Lindsay Autry, 29 - West Palm Beach, Fla., Omphoy Ocean Resort &Michelle; Bernstein
- Jonathan Baltazar, 36 - Long Beach, Calif., Heights Cuisine.
- Ty-Lör Boring, 34 - Brooklyn, N.Y., Spasso
- Molly Brandt, 30 - Hollywood, Fla., Allure of the Seas for Royal Caribbean
- Chaz Brown, 29 - New York, N.Y., Fatty Crab
- Kimberly Calichio, 27 - New York, N.Y., Fishtail by David Burke
- Beverly Kim, 31 - Chicago, Ill., Aria Restaurant
- Chris Crary, 29 - Los Angeles, Calif., Whist Restaurant in the Viceroy Hotel
- Andrew Curren, 32 - Austin, Texas , 24 Diner
- Berenice deAraujo, 33 - Miami, Fla., Sra. Martinez
- Janine Falvo, 37 - Atlanta, Ga., Briza Restaurant
- Richie Farina, 28 - Chicago, Ill., MOTO
- Sarah Grueneberg, 29 - Chicago, Ill., Spiaggia
- Chris Jones, 30 - Chicago, Ill., MOTO
- Edward Lee, 38 - Louisville, Ky., 610 Magnolia
- Whitney Otawka, 30 - Cumberland Island, Ga., Greyfield Inn
- Simon Pantet, 30 - Seattle, Wash., Twenty-Two Doors
- Colin Patterson, 37 - Seattle, Wash., Sutra
- Laurent Quenioux, 51 - Los Angeles, Calif., Vertical Wine Bistro
- Paul Qui, 30 - Austin, Texas, Uchiko Restaurant
- Keith Rhodes, 39 - Wilmington, N.C., Catch Restaurants
- Grayson Schmitz, 27 - New York, N.Y., Exec. Chef
- Tyler Stone, 22 - Sacramento, Calif., Personal Chef
- Heather Terhune, 39 - Chicago, Ill., Sable Kitchen and Bar
- Chuy Valencia, 25 - Chicago, Ill., Chilam Bilam
- Nina Vicente, 29 - Seattle, Wash., Spur Gastropub
- Ashley Villaluz, 25 - Seattle, Wash., Sous Chef
- Dakota Weiss , 35 - Los Angeles, Calif., 9:30 Restaurant and The Backyard
Six Chicago Chefs to Compete on ‘Top Chef: Texas’