Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio looks at how the contestants perform in the challenges, not at where they worked.
Sure, the Top Chef contestants can whip up an amuse-bouche from buffet leftovers and churn out "upscale barbecue." But how did these on-screen darlings fare in the real restaurant world? Tough-talking Joey, who found himself in the bottom three in episode two, is the executive chef at NYC's legendary romantic spot, Café des Artistes. Tre wound up there too, and he's chef de cuisine at Dallas' Abacus, which scores a whopping 28 for Food. The other toque who hails from a top-rated place is Lia, an executive sous-chef at Jean Georges, which also has a 28 Food score.
Check out the list below to learn more about where the contestants most recently worked. Note: The five contenders who aren't listed did not work at restaurants immediately before the show.