Ever wonder what happened to the “Top Chef” second-rans after a season ends? Bravo intends to tell you about at least a few of them with “Life After Top Chef,” premiering Wed. Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. ET. The show follows Richard Blais in Atlanta, Jen Carroll in Philadelphia, Spike Mendelsohn in D.C., and Fabio Viviani in Los Angeles as they continue to heat things up, from opening their own restaurants to expanding franchises and establishing their brands. For a sneak peek visit https://www.bravotv.com/life-after-top-chef/season-1/videos/the-insane-life-of-a-chef. Below, keep reading for a refresher on who you’ll be seeing — and what they’ll be doing.
After losing “Top Chef” season 4, Richard Blais ultimately won “Top Chef All Stars.” He owns a four-star burger eatery with multiple locations and runs a creative culinary company that works with three and four-star restaurants. Richard wants to invest his winnings to finally succeed in opening a fine dining restaurant in Atlanta. Unfortunately, he struggles between his ambitions in the kitchen and being there for his family at home.
If there”s one female chef who can intimidate the guys, it”s Jen Carroll. As the bright and shining star of chef Eric Ripert”s restaurant empire, she left her most recent post as Executive Chef at 10 Arts in Philadelphia to head out on her own. She sets out to open Concrete Blonde and must overcome some hurdles before realizing that it takes more than raw talent to achieve your goals. In her personal life, Jen helps care for her sick mother and is coming to terms with being 37-years-old and newly single.
Spike Mendelsohn competed on “Top Chef” to gain notoriety, and quickly got it. Being the baby of a food industry family, he was encouraged to associate his name with the family business to drive its success. While Spike wants to please his family, he also wants to succeed in opening a restaurant of his own. He struggles with his strong desire to venture on his own while avoiding ruffling feathers with the Mendelsohn clan.
Fan favorite Fabio Viviani won over fans in “Top Chef” season five with his thick Italian accent, and suave yet gregarious nature. He hopes to build his empire and become the “male Martha Stewart.” The chef and owner of two Los Angeles restaurants, Fabio is going non-stop and it starts to take a toll on him, both physically and emotionally.
Are you looking forward to “Life After Top Chef”?