Top Chef’ 2020 Cast Spoilers: Meet the All Star Contestants

Bravo’s Top Chef returns tonight with the series Top Chef All-Stars: LA. The show has been airing only reruns for about a year, so fans will finally get a new showdown between previous contestants.

Fifteen fan-favorite contestants return to the kitchen to win what is the biggest prize in Top Chef history. They’re competing for a total of $250,000.

The show is hosted by Padma Lakshmi and judged by Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. There will also be guest stars featured this season including Kelly Clarkson, Jon Favreau, Ali Wong and Randall Park.

Read on to learn more about the contestants.

Meet the ‘Top Chef All-Stars: LA’ Contestants

Pictured: (l-r) Stephanie Cmar, Jamie Lynch, Gregory Gourdet, Lee Anne Wong, Brian Malarkey, Joe Sasto, Karen Acunowicz, Angelo Sosa, Melissa King, Lisa Fernandes, Bryan Voltaggio, Kevin Gillespie, Nini Nguyen, Eric Adjepong, Jennifer Carroll

Lee Anne Wong competed on the very first season of Top Chef. Then, she worked as the culinary producer for the next four seasons. In 2018, Wong competed on Top Chef: Colorado but later withdrew due to altitude sickness.

Bryan Voltaggio participated in Season 6 of Top Chef, and he placed second in the show, bested by only his brother, Michael Voltaggio. After the season ended, Bryan participated on Top Chef Masters Season 5. He placed second in that competition as well.

Angelo Sosa appeared in Season 7 of Top Chef and in one episode of Iron Chef America. He took the runner-up position on Top Chef. He’s since opened a few restaurants and released cookbooks.

Joe Sasto has appeared on more than one reality cooking program. First, he sharpened his skills on Food Network’s Chopped, and later he finished in the top three of Top Chef Season 15. He has since relocated to Los Angeles.

Nini Nguyen is a New York-based chef, instructor and recipe developer. She appeared on Top Chef Season 16 but was eliminated during Restaurant Wars.

Brian Malarkey first appeared in the Top Chef franchise during season 3 in Miami. He has opened many restaurants, some of which have expanded globally. Now, he spends a lot of time surfing, paddle boarding, fishing and spending time with his wife and their three children.

Jamie Lynch competed on Season 14 of Top Chef in Charleston. He opened Chef Jamie’s Farm, a six-acre fruit and vegetable farm, in 2018 and has two restaurants opening in 2020.

Melissa King placed as a finalist on Top Chef Season 12 in Boston. She has been recognized by Thrillist as one of the “best female chefs in San Francisco.” She has been cooking since she was six years old and has run restaurants throughout San Francisco.

Gregory Gourdet was the runner-up of Top Chef Season 12 in Boston. He became the Executive Chef at Departure in 2010 and has worked there for over 10 years. He announced in 2019 that he would be opening his own restaurant.

Kevin Gillespie was a finalist in Season 6 of Top Chef and was voted as the fan favorite contestant for the season. He later started Red Beard Restaurants, which allowed him to expand and provide consulting services to startups. More recently, in August 2017, he opened Kevin Gillespie’s Gamechanger, which is located near the western end zone of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Lisa Fernandes placed as a finalist in Top Chef Season 4 in Chicago. In 2013, she started her own Sweet Chili food truck, and she has since opened her first brick and mortar location.

Stephanie Cmar was a frontrunner on Top Chef Season 11, which was in New Orleans. She’s been working in the food industry since she was 15 years old and has since opened the pop-up Stacked Donuts in Boston. She is now a private chef for multiple families and caters upscale dinner parties.

Jennifer Carroll is the owner of Carroll Couture Cuisine. She was a finalist on Top Chef Season 6 in Las Vegas. She also competed on Season 8 of Top Chef: All Stars, Top Chef Duels and on Season 15 of Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen. 

Karen Akunowicz competed on Top Chef Season 13 and is the current chef and owner of Fox & the Knife, which is located in Boston. The restaurant was named one of 2019’s best new restaurants in America by a number of publications. Akunowicz has also won a James Beard Foundation Award and has been named Boston Magazine’s Best Chef.

Eric Adjepong is the current chef and owner of Pinch & Plate in Washington, D.C. He competed and was a finalist on Season 16 of Top Chef in Kentucky. He holds degrees from Johnson & Wales in Culinary Arts, Culinary Nutrition and International Public Health Nutrition.

‘Top Chef: All Stars’ Time & Channel

The new season of Top Chef: All Stars premieres tonight, March 19, 2020 on Bravo at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

According to the episode synopsis, a challenge will take place at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. Later, the elimination challenge will take the chefs to the beach to cook a seafood meal, but “their only heat source will be fire.”

Tune in to Top Chef: All Stars to watch the executive chefs and owners compete for the $250,000 prize.

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