Season 2 of “Top Chef Masters” hits the air April 7 on Bravo, and the 22 cheftestants have just been announced. Gotta say, it looks nowhere near as star-studded as Season 1.
And Bay Area foodies won’t have to choose which local chef to back because there aren’t any. That’s right, zero chefs from the San Francisco/Wine Country area. Which last time I checked, was widely regarded as probably the No. 2 culinary hotspot in the country, behind New York. This season, almost half are from either N.Y. or L.A. Hmmmmm. (Maybe the Bay Area dominated last season too much, placing two of the top three.)
Six Season 1 masters are back for a second chance: Graham Elliot Bowles, Wylie Dufresne, Ludo Lefebvre (ugh), Rick Moonen, Mark Peel and Jonathan Waxman. Here’s the full list:
Jody Adams – Rialto Restaurant, Cambridge, Mass.
Govind Armstrong – 8 oz Burger Bar, Los Angeles
Graham Elliot Bowles – Graham Elliot Restaurant, Chicago
Jimmy Bradley – The Red Cat, New York
David Burke – David Burke Townhouse, New York
Wylie Dufresne – wd~50, New York
Susan Feniger – Street, Los Angeles
Debbie Gold – The American Restaurant, Kansas City
Carmen Gonzalez – Chef Consultant, New York
Maria Hines – Tilth, Seattle
Susur Lee – Madeline’s, Toronto
Ludo Lefebvre – Ludo Bites, Los Angeles
Tony Mantuano – Spiaggia, Chicago
Rick Moonen – Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
Mark Peel – Campanile, Los Angeles
Monica Pope – t’afla, Houston
Thierry Rautureau – Rover’s, Seattle
Marcus Samuelsson – The Red Rooster, New York
Ana Sortun – Oleana, Cambridge, Mass.
Rick Tramonto – TRU, Chicago
Jerry Traunfeld – Poppy, Seattle
Jonathan Waxman – Barbuto, New York
From an outsider’s perspective (I’m a TV-ie, not a foodie), it looks like a much less-known lineup than the first season. But I suppose it’s nice to get some fresh faces involved. The first season worked so well largely because of the chefs’ personalities, not the format, so here’s hoping that there’s someone in there who’s as cool as Hubert Keller. (Ehhh, that might be too much to ask.)
How about it, foodies? Anyone on the list who you’re excited to see?
