“Top Chef” is getting ready to serve up the Golden State this fall. Season 13 of Bravo’s culinary competition will travel across the California coast on a six-city expedition visiting Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Oakland and the greater Palm Springs area.
Padma Lakshmi will return as host, along with head judge Tom Colicchio and judges Gail Simmons and Richard Blais.
The new crop of “chef-testants” will feature California-based chefs. As always, culinary stars and celebrity guest judges will ready up their appetite throughout the season.
“The entire food landscape has transformed in the 10 years since ‘Top Chef’ first launched. What better way to explore where it all started then to head out to California, one of the top culinary destinations in the world, for an unprecedented six-city expedition,” said Shari Levine, exec vice president of current production for Bravo Media, alluding to the first and second seasons, which were based in San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively.
“The Golden State truly is the land of wine and food,” added Caroline Beteta, president & CEO of Visit California, who announced the new season’s destinations with Bravo on Tuesday. “California is the ultimate destination and viewers will see first-hand the abundance and diversity of the state’s fresh produce offerings, world-class chefs and renowned dining experiences within our iconic cities, wine regions and agricultural communities.”
