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Top Chef Season 21 brings 15 chefs to Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, with Kristen Kish stepping into the host role and Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons returning as judges. The season premiered on Bravo on March 20, 2024; its announced challenges put Wisconsin ingredients and food traditions in the spotlight.
Meet the Season 21 contestants
Bravo’s February 7, 2024 cast announcement named 15 chefs and listed each person’s hometown, residence at the time, and professional role. These are the details Bravo published for the season’s cast reveal, not confirmation of anyone’s current job or residence.
- Alisha Elenz — Hometown: Palatine, Illinois; listed residence: Chicago; private chef.
- Amanda Turner — Hometown: Arlington, Texas; listed residence: Austin; chef de cuisine at Olamaie.
- Charly Pierre — Hometown: Cambridge, Massachusetts; listed residence: New Orleans; head chef and owner of Fritai.
- Dan Jacobs — Hometown: Chicago; listed residence: Milwaukee; chef and co-owner of EsterEv and Dandan.
- Danny Garcia — Hometown and listed residence: Brooklyn, New York; executive chef, Saga Hospitality Group.
- David Murphy — Hometown: Houston; listed residence: San Francisco; chef and co-owner of Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine. Bravo’s cast entry spells his surname Murphy.
- Kaleena Bliss — Hometown: Seattle; listed residence: Chicago; executive chef at Chicago Athletic Association and Cindy’s Rooftop.
- Kenny Nguyen — Hometown: Philadelphia; listed residence: Athens, Georgia; head chef and owner of Pretty Boy, then listed as opening in 2024, and executive chef at The Expat.
- Kévin D’Andrea — Hometown: Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France; listed residence: Austin; chef and owner of Foliepop’s.
- Laura Ozyilmaz — Hometown: Acapulco, Mexico; listed residence: San Francisco; executive chef and owner of Dalida.
- Manny Barella — Hometown: Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico; listed residence: Denver; culinary director at Camp Pickle and Jaguar Bolera, both then listed as opening in 2024.
- Michelle Wallace — Hometown: St. Louis; listed residence: Houston; chef, owner, and pitmaster of B’tween Sandwich Co.
- Rasika Venkatesa — Hometown: Chennai, India; listed residence: New York; chef de cuisine.
- Savannah Miller — Hometown: Southern Pines, North Carolina; listed residence: Durham; chef de cuisine at M Tempura.
- Valentine Howell Jr. — Hometown: Boston; listed residence: Dorchester; executive chef.
Bravo described the cast as rising-star chefs and James Beard nominees from across the country. Its individual bios give viewers a snapshot of the chefs’ backgrounds as the competition begins, rather than a guarantee that their listed positions remain unchanged.
What to know about the season
Milwaukee, Madison, and a new host
Season 21 is set in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. Kristen Kish, winner of Season 10, took over as host, while Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons continued as judges. Kish’s path on the show has included competing, winning, and guest judging. In Visit Milwaukee’s season announcement, she said, “’Top Chef’ is where I started my journey – first as a competing chef, then a guest judge and now as host I have the honor of helping to continue to build this brand.”
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Wisconsin ingredients and food traditions
Bravo announced challenges built around the region’s food and culinary culture. The season’s themes included a cheese festival and local cheesemakers, Door County cherries, Wisconsin-grown cranberries, a Milwaukee Brewers challenge involving five kinds of sausage, a Door County fish boil, and a Madison supper-club menu.
Quickfires and immunity
For this season, Bravo announced cash prizes for each Quickfire Challenge and immunity in Elimination Challenges: the winning chef would be safe in the next episode. Colicchio and Simmons were also set to join Kish at Quickfire Challenges in the back half of the season. These were Season 21 format details, not announcements about later seasons.
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When Season 21 premiered
Season 21 premiered Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 9/8c on Bravo. Bravo’s announcement described the episodes as supersized, running from 9 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. ET, and said they would be available to stream on Peacock the next day. That is the viewing plan announced for the premiere; it does not establish whether the season is currently available in a particular streaming catalog.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Official first-look preview
Bravo’s official video listing, “Your First Look at Top Chef Season 21”, introduces the new group of cheftestants. For the full cast biographies, see Bravo’s Season 21 cast announcement. Bravo’s season announcement outlines the setting, premiere plan, and announced challenges.
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