Eat Alabama Seafood

Bravo Media’s Emmy and James Beard Award-winning “Top Chef” takes on the culinary hotspot of Charleston, South Carolina, for the new season, kicking off with a supersized premiere on Thursday, December 1 at 10 – 11:15pm ET/PT

. In an unparalleled twist, eight acclaimed chefs from across the country will unpack their knives alongside eight chefs from seasons past, who have never won the prestigious title and are back for redemption. Sitting at the judges table for season 14 are host Padma Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons who are joined by new judge and Top Chef Masters” alum, Graham Elliot. For a sneak peek, please visit: [http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-14/videos/introducing-top-chef-season-14s-rookie-chefs

](http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-14/videos/introducing-top-chef-season-14s-rookie-chefs).

Meet the Chefs entering the “Top Chef” kitchen for the first time.

[Silvia Barban

](http://www.bravotv.com/people/silvia-barban) –Brooklyn, NY

[Emily Hahn

](http://www.bravotv.com/people/emily-hahn) – Charleston, SC

[Jamie Lynch

](http://www.bravotv.com/people/jamie-lynch) – Charlotte, NC

[Annie Pettry

](http://www.bravotv.com/people/annie-pettry) – Louisville, KY

[Sylva Senat

](http://www.bravotv.com/people/sylva-senat) – Philadelphia, PA

[Gerald Sombright

](http://www.bravotv.com/people/gerald-sombright) – Marco Island, FL

[BJ Smith

](http://www.bravotv.com/people/bj-smith) – Portland, OR

[Jim Smith

](http://www.bravotv.com/people/jim-smith) – Montgomery, AL

*For more information on the cheftestants, please visit [Bravotv.com/top-chef

](http://bravotv.com/top-chef).

From fan favorites to finalists who have been close enough to taste it, Bravo will be serving up clues on Top Chef’s [Facebook

](https://www.facebook.com/topchef)and [Instagram

](https://www.instagram.com/bravotopchef/) over the next week on the identities of the returning Cheftestants. Fans and foodies alike can join in the #TopChef social conversation to get exclusive hints about who will be returning to the kitchen.

This season is the ultimate challenge of old blood versus new when 16 talented cheftestants descend upon the city of Charleston to battle it out for $125,000 furnished by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, a feature in FOOD & WINE magazine, a showcase at the annual _FOOD & WINE _Classic in Aspen and the coveted title of “Top Chef.” Along with the return of the daunting Sudden Death Quickfire, high-stakes challenges include cooking for BBQ king Rodney Scott to the tunes of country music artist, Darius Rucker, a tribute honoring Edna Lewis and a holiday-themed Feast of Seven Fishes dinner. Always upping the ante, one landmark challenge calls for the contestants to cook for a room full of culinary greats in hopes of landing the highly lauded prize of serving their winning dish at the coveted James Beard House in New York City. From a shrimp and grits cook off to a biscuit blowout, the chefs dive deep into the roots of Lowcountry cuisine to prove to the judges, the world, and themselves that they have what it takes to conquer their competition.

Throughout the competition, the chefs serve up food for culinary stars and celebrity guest judges including: Daniel Humm, William Guidara, Jeremiah Tower, Dominique Ansel, Sean Brock, Frank Lee, Richard Blais, Chris Cosentino, Michael Voltaggio, Hugh Acheson, BJ Dennis, Carrie Morey, Nilou Motamed, Mike Lata, John Currence, Alexander Smalls, Michael Cimarusti and Michael Solomonov.

Towards the end of the season, the cheftestants will also have the opportunity to vie for the “Top Chef Fan Favorite” title, voted upon by viewers on [BravoTV.com

](http://bravotv.com/). The winner will be announced on the finale night on “Watch What Happens Live” and will receive $10,000 furnished by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water.

The series is produced by the Emmy Award-winning Magical Elves with Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Doneen Arquines and Casey Kriley serving as executive producers.

About Bravo Media

Bravo Media is the premiere lifestyle and entertainment brand that drives the cultural conversation around its high-quality, interactive original content that focuses on the network’s passion points of food, fashion, beauty, design, digital and pop culture. The network’s diversified slate includes Bravo’s first scripted series “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,” scripted comedy “Odd Mom Out,” and unscripted favorites such as Emmy award-winning “Top Chef,” “Vanderpump Rules,” “Below Deck,” “Southern Charm” and the popular “Million Dollar Listing” and “The Real Housewives” franchises as well as the only live late-night talk show, “Watch What Happens Live.” Available in 92 million homes, Bravo is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Watch Bravo anywhere: On Demand, online or across mobile and connected TVs. Bravo has been an NBCUniversal cable network since December 2002 and first launched in December 1980.

About Chef Jim Smith Chef Jim Smith currently serves as Chairman of the Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission, which was established in March of 2011 by Governor Robert Bentley to support and promote members of Alabama’s seafood industry. An industry veteran of more than 20 years, Smith serves as the Executive Chef of the State of Alabama, acting as a staff of one to plan and prepare daily meals for the First Family and menus for events sponsored by the State. As a proud ambassador of local ingredients, he uses his position to promote attendance to farmer’s markets and various events that support Alabama food products. In 2011, Chef Smith was named champion of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off.