Hey, hey! The premiere of reality cooking show “Top Chef” is just a month away! Bravo just released details on season 21, filmed last summer in Wisconsin, and the big reveals, per a story by Food & Wine, are both the premiere date and the names of this season’s “cheftestants” – notably the addition of one local name: Dan Jacobs, co-owner of DanDan!
The season premieres on March 20 (8 p.m.), with each episode clocking in at 75 minutes. Jacobs – who has worked in local restaurants including Wolf Peach and Odd Duck before opening DanDan and EsterEv – competes with 14 other contestants. The show uses a three-part progressive elimination format that includes the Quickfire Challenge, Elimination Challenge and the Judge’s Table.
“It’s amazing to see Milwaukee represented in such an incredible way,” says Jacobs. “As the only Wisconsin-based contestant on this season, I take a lot of pride in representing our incredible culinary community that has inspired me to be where I am today.”
Jacobs adds that being on the show “has always been a dream of mine…. it felt like fate. What an honor to represent our region. A big reason I wanted to compete [on the show] was to inspire people with disabilities.” Jacobs has Kennedy’s Disease, a rare and progressive neuromuscular disorder. “I hope this platform allows me to inspire people who are differently-abled to pursue their passions, especially in the culinary world where physical constraints can be a big barrier.”
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
More revelations from the Bravo TV folks:
- The cheftestants must go “head-to-head in a slew of challenges honoring the state’s traditions, local staples and fresh produce. From a cutthroat cheese festival featuring some of Wisconsin’s Award winning cheesemakers, to showcasing the versatility of Door County cherries and Wisconsin-grown cranberries, there’s no room for error as the judges narrow down the competitors each week to find this season’s winner. One challenge takes the chefs to the home of the Milwaukee Brewers for their Famous Racing Sausages® Race, but this “Top Chef” version means they’re tasked with cooking and elevating five different types of sausages.”
- The cheftestants will observe a Wisconsin institution – an old-fashioned Door County fish boil – before creating their own with help from “Top Chef” alums.
- In Madison, the chefs offer a high-end, “clever” take on a supper club menu and visit a farmer’s market to do their shopping for a special Quickfire with guest judge W. Kamau Bell, a stand-up comedian and TV host.
- In the Restaurant Wars episode, one challenge tasks the chefs to “make dishes that are works of art” honoring architect/Wisco native Frank Lloyd Wright.
- Chef Matty Matheson (from Hulu comedy/drama “The Bear”) appears as a guest judge for a challenge about chaos cuisine, combining cultures and “breaking the culinary mold.”
- A whole slew of notable Wisconsinitess are part of the judging and dining panel, including The Diplomat’s Dane Baldwin, comedian Charlie Berens, former Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun, restaurateur Paul Bartolotta, Lupi & Iris co-owner/executive chef Adam Siegel, Tory Miller of Madison’s L’Etoile, and Itaru Nagaro and Andrew Kroeger of Madison’s Fairchild. And also, I just learned, “Wisconsin Foodie” host/restaurateur Luke Zahm, who posted this on Facebook.
Watch the “Top Chef” season 21 trailer here.
