Bravo has released its list of contestants for the second season of Top Chef Masters. It is a lineup mixed with some lesser known, but really talented chefs, and some names that you will most likely have heard of if you watch other cooking shows. They will even have 6 contestants from season 1 back on to try and make it all the way this time. People living in the Seattle area should recognize 3 chefs right off the bat. The Pacific Northwest is an area that is gaining more and more culinary credibility and prestige. This season of Top Chef Masters can further that progress or possibly undo it a bit. Let’s take a closer look at the Seattle chefs.
Maria Hines: A James Beard Award winner (the Oscars of cooking) in 2009, Maria Hines has been operating her Certified Organic restaurant Tilth since 2006. While the focus is on local sourcing and organic foods, the restaurant would not be so successful if the flavors did not also push their way in to the focus. It will be interesting to see if Maria brings a spotlight to organic, local, and sustainable foods while she is on Top Chef Masters season 2.
Thierry Rautureau: He is another James Beard Award winner and being French born and raised, Thierry’s food is classically French. Thierry Rautureau owns, operates, and cooks at Rover’s in Seattle. Despite this restaurant having been serving food since 1987, it continues to draw praise and wow customers. Rautureau is not known for a wildly imaginative menu so depending on the crazy Top Chef style challenges, it should be entertaining to see the chef work out of his comfort zone.
Jerry Traunfeld: Yet another James Beard Award winner (the JBA is really sort of an unofficial prerequisite to being considered a Top Chef “Master” rather than just a Top Chef) in the competition. Jerry Traunfeld only recently stepped away from the highly acclaimed and successful restaurant, The Herb Garden, located in the Woodinville wine country. His focus, for around 17 years, there was elaborate, several course meals that were more of an event rather than just a dining experience. Traunfeld left the Herb Garden to start his own restaurant in Seattle, Poppy. Poppy’s central idea is built around the Indian serving style of the “thali”. This is a style of serving several little dishes out at once and letting the diner explore their plate at their own pace. It is a much more casual experience than the Herb Farm but again with a focus on letting the diner taste many different flavors. Poppy’s food has a very, very slight Indian influence (Naan bread is always included) but mostly the focus is on highlighting Pacific Northwest ingredients just as pine mushrooms, oysters, or fiddle head ferns. Traunfeld works with an extremely broad group of ingredients that you will rarely find in other restaurants and so it may be interesting to see if he has enough ingredients at his disposal in the Top Chef Masters kitchen.
Seattelites should be proud of their city having three great chefs to represent them on a national stage. However, they should also be prepared for that agonizing feeling of watching people you are rooting for have difficulties and challenges in front of America. This most recent season of Top Chef, set in Las Vegas, featured two local chefs as well. Ashley Merriman of Branzino seemed to have the talent to make it far but had a few slip ups at inopportune times. And Robin Leventhal, formerly of Crave, made it a lot farther than many thought but it was difficult to watch her get torn down by the judges and other contestants week after week. I will be excitedly watching Top Chef Masters Season 2 and rooting for the Seattle chefs but I learned my lesson to not get too emotionally invested in any of the chefs.
Source:
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/season-2/bios
