Bravo’s reality cooking competition, Top Chef, has had many talented chefs throughout the show’s 18 seasons. Some chefs are fan-favorites because of their skill levels, while others are popular because of their personalities. Regardless, there have been many iconic contestants (or rather, “cheftestants”) that have cooked in the Top Chef kitchen.
Some of the show’s best chefs didn’t even win the top prize during their season. However, they’re still memorable with fans for their creativity, personal life stories, charisma, and delicious food. They’re legendary Top Chef alumni, and no one could say these 10 best chefs should pack their knives and go.
Eric Adjepong
One of the more recent cheftestants, Eric Adjepong was a finalist in season 16, Top Chef: Kentucky, and he competed in the subsequent season, Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. Fans admired Adjepong’s passion for cooking, but also his determination to introduce viewers to traditional West African cuisine, specifically Ghanaian food and flavors.
Adjepong educated some viewers about a cuisine they might have been unfamiliar with prior to the season. Because of this, he became a fan-favorite contestant who impressed judges week after week. While he was eliminated during the finale of Top Chef: Kentucky and he was cut early on in his all-star season, he’s a stand-out chef for his unique creativity, which is presented to clients and restaurants as part of his full-service pop-up catering company, Pinch & Plate.
Fabio Viviani
Fabio Viviani gained popularity when he was a semi-finalist in the fifth season, Top Chef: New York. The Italian-born chef impressed judges with his Italian cuisine, and he won over viewers’ hearts with his charisma. He was also voted fan-favorite for the season.
Fans were elated when Viviani returned to compete in the season eight All-Stars competition. He was less successful during this competition, eliminated in the ninth episode, but he was still a popular chef with viewers. Since his Top Chef days, Viviani is a celebrity chef, and he owns several restaurants across the United States. Fans continue to follow his career years after his seasons on the reality cooking competition.
Carla Hall
Carla Hall is one of the most popular contestants from Top Chef. A runner-up of the fifth season, Top Chef: New York, Hall was known for presenting flavorful food with her perky personality. Fans can probably still hear her signature phrase, “Hootie hoo!” Because she was so popular, she returned to compete in the season eight All-Stars competition. She was eliminated towards the end of the season, but she was voted fan-favorite.
Hall’s lively personality allowed her to branch out as a celebrity chef. From 2011 to 2018, she was a cohost of ABC’s popular cooking-themed talk show, The Chew. She has also opened numerous restaurants across the country, and she’s a keynote motivational speaker. Hall is more than a chef; she’s an inspiration.
Kristen Kish
Kristen Kish was a standout cheftestant in the tenth season, Top Chef: Seattle. The Korean-born chef showcased her Asian flavors with classic cuisine training, impressing judges. However, her time on the show wasn’t easy. She was originally eliminated after the 11th episode and she competed in the show’s Last Chance Kitchen, a sub-competition to allow one eliminated chef the opportunity to re-enter the main competition.
Kish ended up winning Last Chance Kitchen and she was the final top chef of the entire season. She proved victory is sometimes met with severe challenges. Following her time on Top Chef, Kish hosted cooking traveling shows and competition shows, including Fast Foodies, and she’s the owner of her first restaurant, Arlo Grey, in Austin, Texas.
Melissa King
Melissa King is the most recent winner of Top Chef, successfully winning the season 17 All-Stars: L.A. competition. She previously competed in season 12, Top Chef: Boston. She attracted the viewers’ attention with her modern California cuisine that was combined with Asian flavors, winning the most cooking challenges of any contestant on the show.
King is known for her technical precision and creativity on the dinner plate. She has the all-star package with her cooking and relatable personality. For the fans who want to see more of her, King is now a guest judge of the show’s season 18.
Mei Lin
Winning season 12’s Top Chef: Boston, Mei Lin knew she wanted to win after working with another Top Chef champion, Michael Voltaggio. The Los Angeles-based chef has also worked with other renowned chefs, including Michael Symon, Marcus Samuelsson, and Wolfgang Puck. Because of her impressive resume, fans knew she would succeed on the show.
She took the competition by storm. In the finale, Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio complimented her strawberry lime curd, commenting it was the best dessert he had ever been served on the reality series. It helped secure her victory. Afterward, Lin became Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef, served as a head critic of Top Chef Masters, hosted Top Chef Just Desserts, and has opened her own restaurant, Nightshade, in Los Angeles.
Stephanie Izard
Stephanie Izard had the prominent honor of being the first female chef to win Top Chef during the fourth season in Chicago. She was also voted fan-favorite for the season. Considered one of the most skillful chefs in Top Chef history, Izard started a restaurant empire in Chicago, including Girl & the Goat, which includes a diner, coffee shop, bread shop, and a bar.
Izard is a force to be reckoned with. In 2013, she earned the esteemed James Beard Award for Best Chef. She’s a recognizable chef in the culinary community, and fans admired her cooking skills and humble personality.
Brooke Williamson
Brooke Williamson was the runner-up to Kish in the season 10 finale, in which the two had to participate in an Iron Chef-style competition. Kish may have won, but Williamson was a fan-favorite with viewers. They looked forward to her return in season 14, Top Chef: Charleston, which combined new cheftestants with past competitors.
Williamson has an impressive resume—being the youngest female chef to cook at the James Beard Foundation House. Her dishes are always creative and present her determination. Following her victory, Williamson has stayed close to the Top Chef family, making many guest judge appearances. In addition, she won the 2020 Food Network competition series, Tournament of Champions, and she runs a successful Los Angeles-based restaurant, Playa Provisions.
Richard Blais
Richard Blais is one of the more recognizable faces from Top Chef. A runner-up to Izard in the fourth season, Blais was not only a fan-favorite but he was also a team player—showing compassion for his rivals. When he returned and won the eighth season All-Stars competition, fans agreed it was a well-deserved victory.
Like other fan favorites, Blais has made many guest judge appearances on Top Chef. He owns many restaurants across the country, and he currently owns Trail Blais, a culinary company that collaborates with other restaurant owners. Blais is passionate about cooking and fans love watching his touring cooking show, Stand-Up Cooking.
The Voltaggio Brothers
When the cooking brothers Michael and Bryan Voltaggio signed on for the sixth season, Top Chef: Las Vegas, viewers knew it was going to be a good season. The brothers competed against each other week after week until the finale, where Michael claimed victory. Colicchio described Michael as the most talented chef he ever met on the show. He presented creative dishes with a fair, relaxed personality that fans immediately loved.
Like his brother, Bryan is another talented chef, known for his expert technical skills in the kitchen. He returned to the Top Chef kitchen as, yet again, a runner-up in season 17’s All-Star: L.A. competition. He might not be a Top Chef champion, but he’s a highly respected chef. The Voltaggio brothers will always be recognizable within the Top Chef family.