r/BravoTopChef

It's perfect. The state famously has two polar opposite cities in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, plus "Pennsyltucky" in the middle. It has the largest chip/snack production in the country, the biggest chocolate company in the country, is a major agricultural state including the primary producer of mushrooms. It has hunting and fishing, putting trout and venison on the menu. It has cultural food connections from Pennsylvania Dutch, Russian, Polish, Italian, German, etc. It has iconic local foods like cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and water ice on one side to the Primanti's sandwiches, chipped ham and wedding cookie tables on the other. Penn State's Beaver Stadium is a perfect venue for a Sheetz vs. Wawa showdown in the middle. While we're talking Penn State, we can't ignore that it's got a world class program in making ice cream - including being where Ben and Jerry learned their craft. Michelin is about to make its first forays into the Pittsburgh area. And there is a startling amount of pizza in the state, some of it really great and some of it very controversial (looking at you, Altoona).

I literally just wrote 23 challenges in there. No excuse for not hitting the Keystone State yet.

I am so tired of Rhode Island getting skipped over or just lumped into a generic Boston season. RI has one of the most fiercely independent, underrated food scenes in the country. People think we are just a novelty joke because of quirky staples, but we have a crazy split personality here. We have world-class fine dining running right alongside gritty, authentic, hole-in-the-wall immigrant kitchens that blow major cities out of the water.

Plus, the logistics excuse is officially dead. Providence just hosted thousands of international fans for the World Cup and the Ghana National Team base camp without breaking a sweat. If the city can handle the World Cup, and Bravo is literally in the state right now filming the new Real Housewives of Rhode Island, they can easily bring a Top Chef crew here.

For the Quickfires, they could test the quirky local culture. They could do a Pizza Strip Challenge forcing chefs to elevate cheese-less bakery pizza into a gourmet, warm appetizer. They could do an Olneyville Speed Test where chefs have to line hot wieners up the arm with the exact meat sauce and celery salt under a brutal time limit. Or they could do a Del's Lemonade Dessert Bar turning that tart, frozen flavor into a Michelin-level plated dessert.

For Elimination Rounds, they should focus on pure substance seafood and global roots. They could do an Anti-Tourist Seafood Feast at the Point Judith docks to cook sustainable, underloved fish right on the water. They could do a Portuguese Tavern Takeover in East Providence mimicking places like O Dinis for traditional pork and clams. They could do a Hole-in-the-Wall Global Crawl tasting test to identify the multi-day broths behind Cranston's best strip-mall pho like Hon's or the intricate stews inside a Bolivian Saltena like Julianna's. They could even do a South American Challenge for real-deal Ceviche Mixto where they are banned from Americanizing or toning down the heat for suburban crowds

For the big finishes, Restaurant Wars should happen at Bayberry Garden in the Jewelry District. Teams would have to design a clean, modern, hyper-seasonal New England menu that complements that stunning, plant-filled, greenhouse-style room. Then the Grand Finale has to be at Gracie's in Providence. It is the absolute pinnacle of fine dining here. They do world-class luxury using their own downtown rooftop garden, but they have zero of that stuffy, corporate, snobby pretension you get in Boston or New York.

Bravo already has production roots planted in the state for the Housewives. Let's force their hand and get Tom, Gail, and Kristen down I-95 to eat some real food.

I thought this was a really nice article. Love that Gail and Kristen were there for the final service.

I forget what Claudette was like in this season. It’s interesting to me that on The Chef’s Cut Podcast that they don’t even say her name.

Re-watching old seasons of top chef because have a sleepy newborn. Why does nobody call attention to Justin literally telling the judges the only reason he didn’t use a bun on his burger because whole food didn’t have the buns he wanted???? Is a pre-made bun not worse than a boxed waffle mix that just has the flour and baking powder in the right proportions???? Why do I feel like I’m crazy? Please advise!

Curious what restaurants you all have tried/want to try and how they were.

My personal list (sadly, some gone) :

Must try: Tiffanys Maui (Sheldon Simeon), Time & Tide (Danny Garcia), 88 Club (Mei)
Great: Girl & Goat Chicago (Izard), DAMA (Antonia), Scratch Sushi (Phillip),
Good: Girl & the Goat LA (Izard), Vaca (Amar), Pikunico (Kuniko), Playa Provisions (Brooke), Taku (Shota), Daybird (Mei), Yangban Society (Katianna)
Ok/Meh: Ramen Hood (Ilan), Ospi (Jackson)

Want to try:
- Huso, Tatianna, Dogon, Kann, Auro, Goosefeather

Never understood the hype around them? I get that what Michael did in Vegas/with Ink at the time was pretty revolutionary in gastronomy type food but:

- Michael's cooking/style didn't seem to age well and Bryan's seems pretty vanilla

- Haven't had as much commercial success as other Top Chef favorites

- Personalities always felt a little off to me, especially Michael. Bryan is "dad funny", but never felt that justified the hype over some of the other great chefs

- Haven't seen many of their restaurant concepts stand up either?

Hello! I’m wondering if anyone might be able to create a gif for me. It comes from season 5, episode 2 (“Show Your Craft”). Guest judge Donatella Arpaia says Jill’s ostrich egg quiche—quote,—“tastes like glue,” to which Gail emphatically replies “YES.”

My best friend and I always say “GLUE” in conversation with one another when we firmly agree with something, and I’d love to be able to surprise her with this gif that doesn’t yet exist. Thus, I’m calling upon you tech-savvy folk, and bonus points if there’s captions.

Thanks in advance, and Happy Pride to all my fellow members of Team Rainbow!

Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and Kristen Kish share the Charlotte restaurants they fell in love with while filming season 23.
By Kayleigh Ruller Published on June 26, 2026

Top Chef judges Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and Kristen Kish say Charlotte's restaurant scene stands out for its ambitious chefs, diverse culinary influences, and willingness to embrace experimentation.
The judges believe Charlotte's affordability, access to local farms, and evolving dining culture are helping attract talented chefs and establish the city as an exciting food destination.
From destination restaurants like Supperland and Albertine to neighborhood favorites like Lang Van and Milkbread, the judges share the Charlotte spots they recommend most.
When Top Chef judges Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and Kristen Kish landed in Charlotte, North Carolina, for Season 23 of the award-winning show, they weren’t just working long days on set. They were also exploring the city by way of their collective “lists” — a compilation of recommendations from friends, food writers, and social media, stored in their Notes apps. They bounced around the Queen City from one spot (say, a buttery biscuit outpost) to the next (an easygoing neighborhood bistro).

Looking beneath the corporate gloss of North Carolina’s largest city, the Top Chef judges found a compelling culinary community in Charlotte: a juicy, experimental, and locale-honoring group of chefs and restaurants. They saw firsthand how North Carolina’s dining scene has grown into a creative force, one fueled by more than just its barbecue. 

“Everywhere you go has different food histories and cultures and immigrant pathways and ingredients and terroir,” judge Gail Simmons says. “I love that we are able to explore them. And I feel that way with Charlotte.” 

What makes Charlotte such a compelling restaurant city
Colicchio, Simmons, and Kish say that Charlotte’s culinary canvas is particularly ripe with opportunity for young chefs and industry veterans looking for a change of pace (or a change of rent). “It feels like people [in Charlotte] are hungry, no pun intended, for more things,” adds Kish. The restaurant scene isn’t “overly congested yet.” She cites the variety of her eclectic list: noodle shops, offbeat barbecue joints, and splashy tasting menus.

Charlotte’s established (but not overheated) dining scene gives early-stage pop-ups, like Hello Uncle, Anora, and Disgruntled Ronin, time and space to plant seeds, grow loyalty from willing diners, and garner national attention, which restaurants like Rada, Supperland, and Albertinehave done before them..

“When it's a city of [hospitality-industry] transplants, it's almost more welcoming for experimentation,” Kish says. Hopefully, she adds, these itinerant chefs “can come and try their hand at anything.”

Colicchio points to Charlotte’s location as a strong foundation for food culture, too. “There are farms here, so there's good food,” he says. Even in situations where a city’s restaurant culture isn’t fully developed, he explains, if a city has a food culture, then “it's only a matter of time before the restaurants start opening up.”

This is why he’s seen so many great restaurants open in smaller cities across the country. “You're starting to see creative people go to cities where they can work and get recognized,” Colicchio says. “It's not surprising at all to see that this is happening here.” He cites affordability, availability of housing, and proximity to family as key contributors. 

Simmons agrees. In a smaller city, like Charlotte, “you can live with a quality of life, make a living, and also serve great food and stand out in the crowd,” she says. “You bring to the city what isn't here five times over already,” she says. 

The Charlotte restaurants Top Chef judges recommend
Once chefs put down roots and start opening restaurants, what separates a solid spot from one that truly stands out?

“I find that if you try to please everyone, then you're kind of nowhere. You end up being like The Gap of restaurants,” Colicchio says. “You’ve got to pick something that you're passionate about.”

These are those passion-fueled restaurants in Charlotte that the Top Chef judges kept coming back to — each one driven by a distinct vision and a strong sense of place.

This decadent church-turned-steakhouse cuts no corners, with hearty portions of pork, bone marrow broccoli, and multi-gin Negronis. Supperland charms diners with its striking Southern fare. Colichio “thought the design was great,” thanks to church pews turned dining benches and an open kitchen firing up orders like theater in the round. Kish says the most exciting dessert she enjoyed was at Supperland, too: The Cheerwine Sundae Float. She describes the North Carolina born-and-bred soda as “a mix between Cherry Coke and Dr. Pepper, if you ask me. It’s yummy. And to have it in an ice cream float? It was fabulous.”

Expect refined, poised service and dramatic design at Albertine. “I actually didn't expect it to be so elevated,” Simmons says. “The room was so breathtaking. I imagined it to be a little more casual in its decor, but it was just so beautiful.” Simmons was also pleasantly surprised by the inventive spirit that chef Joe Kindred brought to more traditional regional cuisine. Yes, there’s pickle-brined Carolina quail on the menu, but it also uses Middle Eastern flavors, like chermoula and za’atar, to great success. “I am not a purist,” Simmons says. “I understand the purpose of evolving Southern food.” Her favorite? The mezze platter.

The bountiful menu at Lang Vanshowcases a variety of Vietnamese dishes, such as bánh xèo, phở, and bò nhúng dấm (Vietnamese hot pot). You’ll find most people sharing family-style over long, drawn-out evenings. “That's what we want to eat when we're eating this every day,” Kish says, referring to the fine-dining fare that Top Chefcompetitors typically make. Among cozy green booths and bamboo-lined walls, owner Dan Nguyen pours wine tableside and remembers just about everyone who has ever set foot in the restaurant. “The service was amazing, and the menu was dizzying and delicious and so comforting,” Kish says. “And it was just nice to see other cuisines really represented so well.”

“It just felt cool. It could have been anywhere,” Simmons says. She is referencing Substrate, a freewheeling natural wine bar with interesting, often unfamiliar pours of vermouth and amari. Vinyl records, vintage posters, and a whole lot of natural light make this place a neighborhood favorite and a destination for the wine-curious. “The people there were really knowledgeable. You were outdoors in the middle of the city and it just felt special. It had young energy,” Simmons says. 

For Kish, no Charlotte dining tour is complete without a biscuit run. A quintessential Carolina staple, this fast-food joint is home to the buttery, salty biscuits of game days, drive-throughs, and birthday parties. “Bojangles is getting a lot of PR for me, and I hope that they come to me with a check or free Bojangles for the rest of my life,” Kish jokes.

Chef Chris Coleman’s breezy cottage restaurant with backyard charm, The Goodyear House, puts out seasonal dishes with clear ties to Southern foodways — North Carolina swordfish, shrimp and grits, smoked cashew mac and cheese. “I felt like it was modern and that the dishes were very Southern. It just felt like ‘This is what Charlotte is like at this moment,’” Simmons says. “It's very young and it's growing and it's changing, but it's still sort of honoring its Southern roots.”

Optimist Hall is Charlotte’s handsome, sleek food hall. From ESO’s handmade pasta to The Dumpling Lady’s Sichuan Chinese noodles, Optimist Hall “was so interesting and so diverse and sort of playful,” Simmons says. “It didn't take itself too seriously, but was done really well for the user experience,” she says. The hall is also a hangout spot, with movie nights, holiday bars, and coffee stalls surrounded by ample seating. “There's thousands of food halls in every major city. I've been to a million in New York and London and Paris and California. And I just feel like it was the best one yet,” Simmons says.

Haraz Coffee House
The line trails outside Haraz in Plaza Midwood nearly every hour it's open. Guests come to sample the café’s signature Yemeni coffee heritage, and probably also its croissants, milk cake, and za’atar-dusted, cream cheese–stuffed, honey-drenched Bee Bites. While Kish is “not a fancy coffee person,” she appreciates the black coffee here, from classic pourovers to Turkish-style coffee topped with cardamom or Saudi-style with saffron.

Another spot where Kish likes to grab coffee is Milkbread. In what was once a Dairy Queen in Plaza Midwood, this all-day cafe pays homage to its DQ roots with a signature walk-up window. Aside from the sweet treats like glazed donuts and the BFC (Big Freakin’ Cookie), Milkbread serves up lunch fare like grain bowls, berbere-spiced mushroom toast, and an Eastern Carolina hot-dipped chicken sandwich.

A local favorite for date nights, Customshop earned a similar endorsement from Simmons and her husband. “It's a beautiful restaurant. And it just felt like that perfect neighborhood restaurant that I want at the end of my block, where I can go for a birthday, but I can also go for a first date,” Simmons says. With chef Andres Kaifer’s silky pasta dishes (like bucatini with chile crisp crema and pork candy) and swoonworthy mains (like duck breast with blackberry sauce and sesame crumble), the menu is both accessible and interesting.

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I thought this was so good and I just love Kristen so much.

• Sees show through lens of both host and former competitor
• Relative to Sieger's elimination "it was definitely felt" and she was taken aback by it a bit
• Goes on to say that in coming up in kitchens, there are a lot of male egos so she was not completely stunned
• Says she's "lived through this" and did not take offense
• Believes it is everyone's choice to say what they want, behave how they want, question what they want and that you're "allowed to do all of you."
• Says how that plays out on TV is on the person doing it
• Says the snake was more upsetting :)
• Thinks her sense of compassion/empathy comes from having been kicked off.
• She finds it the hardest to eliminate the first chef b/c she knows they've just hoped to not be the first.
• Mentions how every elimination challenge is staggered so they can taste the food as intended
• Mentions the food often looks better in person than the beauty shot ... I didn't really catch why
• Her favorite Top Chef meltdown is, "I'm not your bitch, bitch."
• Says judges table decisions have to be unanimous or at least someone has to begrudgingly concede ... if not they'll go all night. Says there were sometimes she didn't fully agree but could acknowledge the counter point.
• Says she'd love for fans to see the unedited version of judges table! YES, PLEASE
• In terms of guests, she really loves non-food professionals who are really into food. She shouts out Danielle Brooks "Hook, Line, and Dinner" episode
• Her dream guest judges: Julia Roberts, Beyonce, the Obamas, Mariska Hargitay
• Really wants to host a queer dating show
• Would love to host Amazing Race too

Normally around March, Magical Elves and some of Top Chef’s casting producers will post casting announcements on social media. Take Instagram for example:

• Season 23: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHEVY9wvHB_/
• Season 22: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5EO9stpins/
• Season 21: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqJx8gMpmWr/
• Season 19: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNDhQm4pJwe/
• Season 18: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ki6IopAhP/

As far as I’m aware, there haven’t been any public posts for casting related to Season 24.

So, are we potentially looking at another All-Stars season?

One caveat: If you type in “topchef24.castingcrane.com”, it does seem to lead to their usual application. But again, I haven’t seen anyone actually promote the link.

I enjoyed this interview. He's really so impressive. I'd love to eat at Huso one day. And I really want the dog biscuits for my dog!!

• The $675 referenced is in Australian dollar (USD $485)
• I didn't realize he initially turned down Eleven Madison Park's offer
• ~a year later he reached back out and they started his visa paperwork immediately ... that's pretty impressive that they not only remembered him but were that eager to hire him. He was 24 at the time!
• He's working toward a second Michelin star
• He sees himself as more “creative director” than as a chef and is obsessive over details such as the lighting and audio levels – which he tweaks from his phone while we talk – as well as the paper stock of the menu, and the 26-hour playlist that flows from Bob Marley to Bad Bunny.
• His most recent innovation is wagyu, sweet potato and oatmeal dog biscuits for pet-owning shoppers at the Marky’s Caviar counter
• He wants to do Survivor?!?!
• When his dad was sick, he wrote up all the recipes (that were previously just in his dad's head) and also taught his brother to cook ... and now the restaurant is doing well

go to one of the TC restaurants and bring a stop watch and when ordering and say, ok you have 15 minute on the clock and time starts ................................................................NOW