It's official. As predicted by the National Enquirer of food journalism, next season's Top Chef will be a reunion show of contestants not good enough to win previous seasons, including three locally based cooks. Bravo producers are bravely calling this alumni gathering an "All Star" season. The cable channel announced the full list of returning [...]

Did Amanda deserve the heave-ho instead of Alex? As is our habit when we watch Top Chef, Carrie and I placed informal bets on who'd get the boot during last night's "Covert Affairs" episode. I figured the judges would finally send Alex packing, given his controversial history this season and the fact that he looks [...]

Damn, the things you miss when you're out videotaping large, chain-let restaurants that aren't quite as large as they think. On Friday, Bravo announced the 12 contestants for the debut season of Top Chef: Just Desserts, and among them are D.C.'s Heather Chittum, pastry chef for Pure Hospitality's two Georgetown properties, Hook and Tackle Box. [...]

Was Tamesha played by Angelo? I'm sorry, but I had to take a break from Top Chef D.C. for awhile. I can only take so much "reality" TV beofre my head feels like it's shrinking to the size of a jelly bean, ready to be eaten by the first self-starving former runway model hosting one [...]

Last week, reader and blogger Jenna challenged me over my lack of enthusiasm about Top Chef filming its next season in D.C.  It was a gentle gibe, and she immediately followed with another, gentler question to prove it: She wanted to know what local spots I'd like to see featured on Bravo's reality show. Here was my [...]

Everyone has their whisks in a stir about Top Chef apparently filming its next season in D.C. You can barely visit a Web site... without... reading... some... random... gushing over the prospect of the city hosting the Bravo program. Yep, I think I get it. Reality TV has supplanted reality for our affections. Leave it [...]

Given the way the most recent Top Chef season played out, Y&H has to think this Web series, hosted by Michael and Bryan Voltaggio, the winner and runner-up in the Bravo reality series, is just the beginning of something bigger for the brothers. Their own cooking show perhaps? A book deal? A traveling roadshow featuring a [...]

God knows I respect the Voltaggio brothers' talent, not to mention the willingness of at least one of the siblings to extract himself from a safe, high-profile kitchen position to try something riskier,  like opening his own restaurant. Which is part of the reason why I could never figure out why Bryan and Michael Voltaggio [...]

Bryan Voltaggio is so gonna bury bro Michael The first thing I wanted to know from Bryan Voltaggio is why. Why did the former executive chef at Charlie Palmer Steak and the current chef/owner of his own restaurant, VOLT, in Frederick feel the need to appear on Season 6 of Top Chef? He, of all [...]

Mike Isabella from Zaytinya: Top Chef material When Mike Isabella got the call to appear on Season 6 of Top Chef, the Zaytinya chef apparently didn't want to do it. It took a little urging from THINKfoodGROUP's big daddy, José Andrés, before the chef decided to pack his knives and go onto the show. So [...]