Foodies around the world will get a taste of Wisconsin’s culinary prowess when the upcoming season of Bravo’s “Top Chef” airs next month.
The hit TV series, now in its 21st season, is set to premiere March 20, showcasing rising star chefs who travelled to Wisconsin from across the country last summer to contend for the highly coveted Top Chef title. Episodes will air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and will be available to stream on Peacock the next day.
Filmed over a span of six weeks, mostly in Milwaukee and Madison, “Top Chef” will shine the national spotlight on Wisconsin as a top-tier dining destination while honoring its rich history of dairy farming and agricultural production.
The group of 15 “cheftestants” will participate in various cooking challenges featuring local staples such as artisan cheeses, Wisconsin-grown cranberries and Door County cherries. They’ll even be tasked with cooking and elevating five different types of sausages as part of a challenge filmed at American Family Field, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, according to a news release.
“We know culinary television – and television in general – will continue to inspire travel in 2024, and that’s why we’re so proud that our community will be highlighted in such a prestigious television show,” said Peggy Williams-Smith, president and chief executive officer of VISIT Milwaukee, which was one of several industry groups involved in the show’s production, along with Travel Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and Destination Madison.
“If they didn’t know it already, the world will soon see that Milwaukee and Wisconsin’s restaurants, chefs and foodmakers are world class,” she added.
Among this season’s competitors is Milwaukee chef Dan Jacobs, co-owner of Dan Dan and EsterEv in the Third Ward. Jacobs and his partner, chef Dan Van Rite, are together nominated as semifinalists for Best Chef Midwest for the 2024 James Beard Awards. This is the fifth consecutive year Jacobs and Van Rite have made the list.
“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.”
– Dan Jacobs, chef and co-owner, Dan Dan and EsterEv
Competing as the only chef from Wisconsin this season, Jacobs said he’d always dreamed of being on “Top Chef.”
“When they announced that season 21 was taking place in Wisconsin, it felt like fate. What an honor to represent our region,” he said. “… I take a lot of pride in representing our incredible culinary community that has inspired me to be where I am today.”
But the opportunity holds even greater meaning for Jacobs, who has a rare and progressive neuromuscular disorder known as Kennedy’s Disease.
“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,” he said.
The city’s award-winning dining scene will be further represented in the slate of guest judges appearing on the show this season, including three of Milwaukee’s four James Beard Award winners: Dane Baldwin, chef and owner of The Diplomat; Paul Bartolotta, chef and owner of The Bartolotta Restaurants, and Adam Siegel, chef and co-owner of Lupi & Iris. Other big names in the mix are Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens, former Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun, celebrity chef Carla Hall, actress Brittany Snow and chef Matty Matheson from FX’s The Bear.
A trailer for the 21st season of “Top Chef,” unveiled by Bravo earlier this month, features clips of several familiar Milwaukee and Wisconsin sites, including the Milwaukee skyline, the downtown lakefront and riverfront, American Family Field, the Historic Miller Caves, Bradford Beach and Whole Foods on the East Side. There was also a teaser for a challenge revolving around what the show’s new host Kristen Kish described as “something Wisconsinites can’t live without” — cheese, of course.
“Watching Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ is just the amuse-bouche to the real thing,” said Anne Sayers, Wisconsin Secretary of Tourism. “Top Chef will show why Wisconsin is one of America’s hottest foodie destinations right now. Undoubtedly, this season will change perceptions of Wisconsin and demonstrate that we are an unexpected, must-taste culinary destination. We are ready to help viewers travel Wisconsin by fork.”
