I’m a huge Bravo fan, and a huge Top Chef fan, so I decided to do some research…
Which chefs are in the Southern California area? And where can I go to taste their food? For those interested, here’s the summary.
Season One
Brian Hill – Owner and executive chef of Match BBQ, Pomona
Candice Kumai – Cook at Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel
Dave Martin – Executive chef at XO Wine Bistro, Manhattan Beach (this was back then, I think it’s now closed)
Season Two
Betty Fraser – Chef-owner of Grub Restaurant, Hollywood
Ilan Hall – Chef-owner of The Gorbals, Los Angeles
Frank Terzoli – (then) Executive Chef at Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe; (now) Executive chef at Heat Supper Club, San Diego
Marcel Vigneron – Sous-chef at Jose Andres’ The Bazaar, Beverly Hills
Season Three
Brian Malarkey – (then) Executive chef at The Oceanaire Seafood Room, San Diego; (now) Chef-owner of Searsucker, San Diego
Season Four
Antonia Lofaso – Executive chef at Foxtail, Los Angeles (now a club called MI-6?)
Season Five
Alex Eusebio – Chef-owner of Sweetsalt Food Shop, Toluca Lake
Richard Sweeney – Executive Chef at Confidential Restaurant & Loft, San Diego
Stefan Richter – Chef-owner of Stefan’s B&B, and (coming soon) Stefan’s at L.A. Farm, Santa Monica
Fabio Viviani – Chef-owner of Cafe Firenze, Moorpark
Season Six
Michael Voltaggio – Chef de Cuisine at The Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa, Pasadena; Executive chef at José Andrés’ The Bazaar; and (coming soon) Ink, Los Angeles
Season Seven
Amanda Baumgarten – Executive chef at watergrill, Los Angeles
Alex Reznik – Executive chef at La Seine, Beverly Hills
Are you a Top Chef fan? Have you been to any of the chef-testants’ restaurants before? Which chef or season was your favorite?
I live close to Fabio’s restaurant and it is awesome! He’s also there quite a bit and comes to the tables to check on everybody. Great place but about 45 minutes from LA. Overall, decent prices and a fabulous balsamic martini too
Can we plan a blogger date and go to one of these local places together?
Jamie (from the season w. Fabio & Stefan and the last Top Chef All Stars) is at Beechwood on Washington Blvd in Venice and its really good!
I want in on the blogger date. I’m obsessed with Top Chef/Bravo. I’ve only been to Cafe Firenze, it’s right by my house!
I LOVE Top Chef. I could seriously watch it for ages and not get tired of it; even reruns captivate me. Always! My favorite season is Season 2; Sam and Ilan are such eye candy!
i’ve only been to grub, and that was before betty was on the show. i feel like it got worse once she was on it!
I live in Australia and I freaking love Top Chef, I only watch Season 1,2,3,6, and 8. My favourite is probably, season 3, 6 and 8. I love Fabio for his hilarious commentary – esp the turtle one. Omg, I totally laughed my ass off on that part.
Ps: I kinda wish you asked, who was your fav/hated chef-testent. 😉
Yes! I’ll have to check out these places, too!
Actually, we live in San Diego & Richard Sweeney’s place (Confidential) is now closed, and is called “The Lincoln Room” now. Richard owns another place in my ‘hood called R Gang Eatery.
Stefan’s at LA Farm is actually open! Went there not too long ago, it was great! The beet and goat cheese salad was amazing!
I visited Confidential on a trip to SD a few years back and it was nothing short of amazing.
The concept is international tapas – it was awesome to taste a bunch of different dishes instead of a single main course.
I’ve never been to a top chef place before but I’ve always wanted to!
yesss, i’m obsessed with top chef (and bravo in general!)
I’m always trying to find them in the Philly area. Such a stalker– sorry i’m not sorry!
I’m so jealous of all of the Top Chef choices that you have in LA!! I’m from DC and have been to Brian Voltaggio’s Volt, which is awesome but, as of a year ago anyway, super-hard to get reservations at, Spike’s “We the Pizza” (which was only ok), and Mike Isabella’s old restaurant Zaytinya (I think he was executive chef there, and if you’re ever in DC you should try it because they will veganize any of their veg dishes and there are a lot)! My friend and I are a little obsessed, we also got tickets to the Top Chef tour when it came through DC and met Carla.
My favorite is still season 6 — I thought they had so many super-talented cheftestants! I also read all of the Bravo blogs on Top Chef — Anthony Bourdain’s from this past season was absolutely hilarious.
Top Chef CJ- I don’t remember what season- is the chef at The Yard in Santa Monica. At least I think he still is? I’ve eaten there a couple times, but there was one day I was having a bit of an off day and walked past and he was outside smoking and he asked me if I needed to cry! I didn’t- I’m not a crier!-, but I wear my heart on my face, I guess. So that was a weird story 😛
niiice! I’m from cali too! o.c. to be exact. I’m out of the loop with this top chef deal I guess! 😛
thats so odd! what a random thing to say to a passerby. ive been to the yard too…not for food, but drinks. i like the place, but the one bathroom was annoying. its been pretty packed the last few times i have gone (to the point of me not even wanting to bother entering), and come to think of it, ive seen him smoking outside as well. kinda gross. i also see CJ almost every single time i go to the santa monica farmers market. so he may have a nicotine problem, but at least his food is local and seasonal.
i hate top chef. but i love, love, love you.
rusty, on the other hand, is an avid top chef watcher. he dvr’s every single episode, which is annoying because it interferes with my jersey shore episodes. equally annoying is when he takes out all the knives in the kitchen and tries to chop vegetables. i’ve explained to him multiple times that he does not have opposable thumbs, but he’s going through a phase where he thinks he knows better than me.
xoxo
Top Chefs is one of all all time favorite shows!! You have so many restaurants in the area, I’m so jealous. I need to look up and see if there are any chefs that have a restaurant here in Miami. It would be so much fun to eat there 😀
also, angelo sosa is the chef at malibu inn on PCH in malibu across from the pier. just opened!