Top Chef Season 16: Meet the 15 chefs whose knives are ready for competition
Excited for Top Chef Season 16? Which one of these talented 16 chefs will earn the coveted title of Top Chef?
Top Chef Season 16, foodie’s favorite Bravo show, is back for another tasty season. As fans await the December 6 season premiere, it is time to get to know the 15 cheftestants competing for the sought-after Top Chef title. Who will join the ranks of Stephanie Izard, Richard Blais and last season’s winner Joe Flamm?
According to Bravo, the 15 cheftestants competing on Season 16 are:
• Eric Adjepong – Washington, DC
• Sara Bradley – Paducah, KY
• Kelsey Barnard Clark – Dothan, AL
• Edmund “Eddie” Konrad – Philadelphia, PA
• Pablo Lamon – Miami Beach, FL
• Natalie Maronski – Philadelphia, PA
• Michelle Minori – San Francisco, CA
• Nini Nguyen – Brooklyn, NY
• Brandon Rosen – San Mateo, CA
• Kevin Scharpf – Dubuque, IA
• Caitlin Steininger – Cincinnati, OH
• Justin Sutherland – St. Paul, MN
• David Viana – Asbury Park, NJ
• Adrienne Wright – Boston, MA
• Brian Young – Boston, MA
TOP CHEF — “The Fastest 2 Minutes in Cooking” Episode 1601 — Pictured: (l-r) Caitlin Steininger, Eric Adjepong, Kelsey Barnard, Pablo Lamon, Justin Sutherland, Sara Bradley, Kevin Scharpf, Eddie Konrad, Natalie Maronski, Brandon Rosen, Nini Nguyen, Adrienne Wright, Brian Young, David Viana, Michelle Minori — (Photo by: Michael Hickey/Bravo)
Looking at the list of cheftestants, the collective group has numerous accolades. James Beard, Zagat and several others have recognized many of the chefs on this list. Even with these accomplishments, the cheftestants know that the Top Chef title can help propel their culinary career even further.
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In today’s competitive culinary landscape, the recognition from this culinary competition helps. Chefs want the notoriety from this show to help promote their restaurants and other culinary endeavors. Many fans will seek out a Top Chef restaurant specifically from seeing these chefs on their favorite culinary competition.
A couple of aspects from this cheftestant list are curious. I would have thought that more Kentucky based chefs would have been on the show. Kentucky has a vibrant food scene. While acclaimed Kentucky based chefs, like Ed Lee, will be featured on the show, I would have liked to see more local chefs competing for the title.
In last season’s Top Chef Colorado, Carrie, a Colorado based chef, made the final four. While it shouldn’t be a given that a local chef goes far in the competition, it is a nice storyline for the culinary show. Also, the local chefs could help boost the local culinary landscape.
Another interesting link between some of the contestants is the highly acclaimed New York City restaurant, Eleven Madison Park. This restaurant is considered one of the best restaurants in the world. Could this culinary work experience give one of those chefs an advantage in the competition?
Lastly, the Midwest is well represented in Top Chef Season 16. While some people don’t think about Minnesota or Ohio as being a foodie destination, these areas have a vibrant food scene. It will be interesting to see how the cheftestants can bring their regions into this culinary competition.
Do I have a guess or prediction on this season’s winner? The simple answer is no. There is no way to predict who will or should win. This culinary competition can change instantly. Sometimes it isn’t the best chef that wins. Rather, it is the chef who plays the game best.
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While the season of Top Chef has been filmed, fans will have to watch all of Top Chef Season 16 to see who will eventually earn the title. 14 cheftestants will be told to pack their knives and go. Which one do you think will be first?