Top Chef Masters: Meet the Master Chefs

The newest competition reality show to hit Bravo is the Masters version of Top Chef. It’s where well-known, established chefs will compete for money for their charities.

Top Chef Masters will premiere on June 10 at 10/9c on Bravo and if it’s half as good as the regular Top Chef, none of us want to miss it! We’ve seen a few of the master chefs as guest judges on Top Chef before, but a few are totally new to us. Be sure to set your DVR to catch every episode of the new Top Chef Masters series!

Here are the 24 Master Chefs who will compete:

Working as a successful chef, restaurateur and author, Jonathan Waxman has graced such prestigious kitchens as Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Michael’s in Los Angeles. Waxman went on to open his own restaurant in New York City – Jams, as well as the famed Washington Park. Today, Waxman is the chef and owner of Barbuto in Manhattan’s West Village. His first cookbook, A Great American Cook, was published in 2007. Giving back is important to Waxman and he works closely with many charities including City Meals on Wheels. He currently lives in Manhattan with his wife and three children.

Competing for: Meals On Wheels

After graduating with honors in 1990 from the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Cimarusti got his start in the Big Apple working with celebrated chef Larry Forigone at An American Place. Cimarusti moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania where he was appointed chef de cuisine at The Forager House Restaurant, but soon migrated back to Manhattan. After a three-year run at Le Cirque where he worked with Paul Bocuse, Gerard Boyer, and Roger Vergé, Cimarusti moved to France to expand his culinary education at La Marée and Arpege. Back in New York, he became opening chef for Le Cirque’s new venture, Osteria Del Circo. Cimarusti went on to become chef de cuisine at the original Spago in Hollywood and went on to run the show as executive chef of Water Grill. He is currently Owner and Chef of Providence Restaurant in Los Angeles.

Competing for: Grameen Foundation

Well known for being Oprah Winfrey’s long time personal chef, Art Smith is the co-owner of the successful restaurant TABLE fifty-two in Chicago, as well as Art and Soul restaurant in Washington DC. He has published three award winning cookbooks and has a fourth on the way – all of which concentrate on home cooking and family life. Smith and Jesus Salgueiro are the founders of the non-profit charity “Common Threads” which focuses on teaching children about different cultures through food and art. In 2007 he received the Humanitarian of the year award from the James Beard Foundation.

Competing for: Common Threads

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Roy Yamaguchi moved to the U.S. to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. After graduating, his devotion to French cooking was nurtured further in southern California, where he signed on for an apprenticeship at L’Escoffier, followed by one at L’Ermitage under the late master chef Jean Bertanou. He worked his way up to chef status with stints at Le Serene and Le Gourmet. In 1984, Chef Yamaguchi finally opened his first restaurant as an owner, 385 North on Hollywood’s La Cienega. This is where the Yamaguchi cooking style, described by Bon Appetit as “California-French-Japanese-eclectic,” first came into bloom. After dissolving his L.A. partnership in early 1988, he uprooted his young family in order to renew his acquaintance with Hawaii, settling into the eastern side of Honolulu known as Hawaii Kai. The opening of Yamaguchi’s restaurant, Roy’s, did not go unnoticed. Within months Food & Wine dubbed it “the crown jewel of Honolulu’s East-West eateries.” It was virtually the only one of its type in the early years. Today there are 37 Roy’s worldwide. He boasts the honor of being the first Hawaiian restaurateur to win the prestigious James Beard Award. Yamaguchi has appeared on Iron Chef, is the author of four cookbooks, and hosted the cooking show Hawaii Cooks.

Competing for: Imua Family Services

In college, Mark Peel landed a job peeling vegetables for Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison. He eventually worked his way up to poissonier before moving to France for stints at La Tour d’Argent and Le Moulin de Mougins. In 1979, he returned to Los Angeles and began working at Michael’s Restaurant. From there he moved north to Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse and, finally, back to Los Angeles to open the original Spago as Wolfgang Puck’s chef de cuisine. In 1989, he opened both La Brea Bakery and Campanile with business partners Nancy Silverton and Manfred Krankl. He has co-authored several books, including Mark Peel & Nancy Silverton At Home: Two Chefs Cook for Family and Friends and The Food of Campanile, both with former wife and ex-partner Nancy Silverton. New Family Classic Dinners, his new cookbook, is due to be released October 2009. His newest project, Glass and Mirrors, a classic bar and restaurant featuring hand-crafted cocktails, is due to open in Hollywood in late 2009. Mark has five children and is married to television host and comedienne Daphne Brogdon.

Competing for: Doctors Without Borders

Douglas Rodriguez started his culinary studies at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Rodriguez is well known for being the “Godfather” of Latin Cuisine and coining the phrase “Nuevo Latino” in his first book in 1997. As Chef/Founder of Patria Restaurant, he received a 3-star review in The New York Times. James Beard Award Winner for “Rising Star Chef” in 1996, Rodriguez currently has Alma De Cuba in Philadelphia, Deseo in Scottsdale, Arizona and OLA Miami in South Beach. In 2003, he moved back to Miami to Open OLA Restaurant. Rodriguez is currently nominated for “Best Chef South Region” for the 2009 James Beard Awards.

Competing for: AYUDA for the Arts

John Besh is the executive chef and co-owner of the Besh Restaurant Group based in New Orleans. His collection of restaurants include August, featured twice on Gourmet Magazine’s list of “Best Restaurants in the U.S.,” La Provence, Lüke, and Besh Steak. His first solo-authored cookbook will make its way to the stores this fall 2009. He has been honored with a number of awards such as Food & Wine’s “Ten Best New Chefs” in America in 1999, “Best Chef in the Southeast” by the James Beard Foundation in 2006, and the Sundance Iconoclasts series featured him in 2007 as a creative visionary whose passion helped transform a culture.

Competing for: Make It Right

Anita Lo is the chef and owner of the successful New York restaurant Annisa and serves as consulting chef for Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. Lo comes from a second generation Chinese-American family that fostered her passion for eating and cooking. While earning a degree in French at Columbia University, she studied at Reid Hall – Columbia’s French language institute in Paris and decided to return to Paris to study cooking. She received her degree at the prestigious Ecole Ritz-Escoffier. Back in New York, Lo worked her way through all the stations at David Waltuck’s Chanterelle and became known as a contemporary American chef during her time at Mirezi in New York, where she won rave reviews including a glowing 2-star write up from The New York Times.

Competing for: SHARE

It’s an understatement to say that Michael Schlow has a passion for food. He began his culinary journey when he traded a baseball scholarship and a 92 mile-an-hour fastball for a set of Wusthof knives and a place at the Academy of Culinary Arts in New Jersey. In 2000, Schlow won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef in the Northeast” and his restaurant Radius in Boston was named “Best New Restaurant” by Food & Wine. His favorite chefs are Craig Shelton, Jean Louis Palladin, and Joel Robuchon. Schlow authored a cookbook in 2005 called It’s About Time, is a regular contributor to culinary publications and has appeared on numerous national cooking shows.

Competing for: Cam Neely Foundation

Chef Christopher Lee broke into the culinary world at the early age of fifteen. After working at various restaurants throughout college, Lee moved to San Francisco and attended the California Culinary Academy. After graduating, Lee relocated to the east coast where he worked at New York’s Jean-Georges and Daniel, and also served as chef de cuisine at Oceana under Neil Gallagher. At Philadelphia’s The Striped Bass, he acted as chef de cuisine under Alfred Portale and later became executive chef. Upon his return to New York City, Lee spent two years at Gilt where he earned the restaurant two Michelin stars. Chef Lee currently runs the kitchen at Aureole in New York, where his cuisine fuses high-concept thought and flavor pairing with a respect for purity and seasonality, always with the diner in mind.

Competing for: Autism Speaks

Born in Alsace, France, Hubert Keller is one of Americas most acclaimed chefs, known best for his world-renowned restaurants, Fleur de Lys (San Francisco and Las Vegas), the Burger Bar (Las Vegas, St. Louis and soon to open in San Francisco) and his latest venture, SLeeK Steakhouse and Ultra Lounge (St. Louis). Having caught the eyes, ears and palates of top food writers, Keller is the recipient of numerous awards including the James Beard Foundation’s lifetime achievement award of “Who’s Who” in the industry. His influence extends beyond his restaurant kitchen to the millions of people he reaches through his cookbooks and TV show, Secrets of a Chef. A graduate of Ecole Hoteliere in Strasbourg, Keller started as a pastry chef and honed his culinary skills by working with master chef’s such as Paul Haeberlin, Roger Verge, Paul Bocuse, Jacques Maximin and Gaston Lenotre. Ranked as one of the “10 Best New Chefs in America” by Food & Wine in 1988. He was the first guest chef at the White House, where he prepared a gourmet dinner for President Clinton and his family. He is also the author of Burger Bar: Build Your Own Ultimate Burgers (Wiley 2009) with Penelope Wisner in bookstores now. He now resides in San Francisco.

Competing for: Make-A-Wish Foundation

The unofficial mayor of Fort Worth, TX, Tim Love has become a nationally recognized culinary personality, known as much for his freewheeling personality as his signature urban western cuisine. As chef and owner of The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and The Love Shack in Fort Worth, he’s as comfortable cooking for the Dallas Cowboys as he is for his own kids, and his inspired and innovative dishes have earned critical and popular acclaim. Love opened The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in 2000, and the restaurant has consistently achieved the highest Zagat rating of any restaurant in the Dallas / Fort Worth region. In 2007, Love opened a classic burger joint called The Love Shack — a casual outdoor spot adjacent to The White Elephant Saloon, another Love property, in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards district. The Love Shack earned three stars from The Dallas Morning News, was singled out as having the “most perfect burger on the planet” by The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and was named by Condé Nast Traveler as a 2008 Hot List restaurant. Through his restaurants and his work in the community for such causes as the March of Dimes and Spoons Across America, Love has become the de facto culinary ambassador for the state of Texas, always doing his fans proud. When he’s not busy working in the kitchen or developing his line of cooking products, Love can be found spending time with his wife Emilie and their three children.

Competing for: March of Dimes

Having started his culinary education at Johnson and Wales University, Graham Elliot Bowles began his career by working at The Mansion on Turtle Creek, a five diamond/five-star property located in Dallas, Texas. This was followed by a move to Chicago where Bowles had the opportunity to work at the famed restaurant Charlie Trotters for a total of three years, as well as work alongside Chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand as the Chef de Cuisine of Tru. A stint at The Jackson House Inn & Restaurant in Woodstock, Vermont earned him a spot as one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs of 2004. This opened the doors for Bowles’to return to Chicago to become Chef de Cuisine of Avenues at The Peninsula Hotel. During his four years leading the kitchen, he became the nations youngest four-star chef with perfect reviews from Chicago Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune, as well as three James Beard award nominations. Bowles has since gone on to open Graham Elliot in Chicago, a “bistronomic” restaurant combining four-star cuisine with humor and accessibility.

Competing for: American Heart Association

Suzanne Tracht is on top of the culinary world as Executive Chef and Owner of two distinct California restaurants – Jar, a modern chophouse in the center of Los Angeles and Tracht’s, which features retro Americana cuisine in Long Beach. Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Tracht’s culinary journey began as a teen when she took a three-year apprenticeship under Siegbert Wendler, renowned chef at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa. She moved to Southern California to continue her education in the kitchen of Hotel Bel-Air and then served as sous-chef at Noa Noa. Her move to Campanile in 1992 placed her on the map, and she was soon named the restaurant’s Chef de Cuisine. Tracht launched her first solo venture in 1996 as Executive Chef at Jozu, a highly praised Cal-Asian restaurant that helped her develop a devoted following. She opened Jar in 2001and has been recognized nationally, including a spot among Food and Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs in 2002, national appearances on the Today Show, Food Network and Extra and induction into the Fine Dining Hall of Fame by Nation’s Restaurant News in May 2007. Her newest concept, Suzpree, a modern oyster bar and noodle house, is scheduled to open in Los Angeles in 2010.

Competing for: JFS/SOVA Community Food and Resource Program

Elizabeth Falkner obtained her degree from the San Francisco Art Institute in the hopes of pursuing a career in film. She changed her mind dramatically after she began working in the food industry. She started as a pastry chef at some of San Francisco’s most renowned restaurants including Masa’s, Elka and Rubicon which resulted in opening her own dessert restaurant. Cinematically inspired, Citizen Cake boasts “a cake for every citizen.” She is currently Executive Chef and Owner of both Citizen Cake and Orson restaurants in San Francisco. Falkner has been featured in numerous publications such as Food & Wine, Gourmet, Pastry Art & Design and W. She has received many awards for her work with pastries, including “Pastry Chef of the Year” from San Francisco magazine, a James Beard Award Pastry Chef nomination in 2005 and Bon Appetit Pastry Chef of the Year in 2006.

Competing for: The Edible Schoolyard

Wylie Dufresne is the chef/owner of New York’s highly celebrated wd~50 restaurant. The Lower East Side eatery was awarded a Michelin star in 2006, which it has retained through 2009. Dufresne himself is no stranger to acclaim. The James Beard Foundation nominated Wylie and wd~50 in the following categories: 2000, “Rising Star Chef” (while Wylie was the chef at 71 Clinton Fresh Food); 2004, wd~50 for “Best New Restaurant;” 2008 and 2009, Wylie for “Best Chef, New York City.” wd~50, whose ownership is shared with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and restaurateur Phil Suarez, acquired its unique name from the combination of Dufresne’s initials and the restaurant’s street address.

Competing for: Autism Speaks

Cindy Pawlcyn is widely recognized as a pioneer of wine country cooking and one of the first proponents of the farm to table philosophy. Pawlcyn began cooking at the tender age of 13-years-old, and through college and self-study was able to work alongside the likes of James Beard and Julia Child. Pawlcyn is the author of four widely acclaimed cookbooks – The Fog City Diner Cookbook, Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook, Big Small Plates, and her newest, Cindy Pawlcyn’s Appetizers. She is also the executive chef and owner of three Napa Valley restaurants – Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, Go Fish, and Mustards Grill each of which uses her extensive kitchen gardens.

Competing for: Community Health Clinic Ole

After training in Paris for 13 years at Restaurant L’Esperance with Marc Meneau, Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire, Arpege with Alain Passard and Le Grande Vefour with Guy Martin, Lefebvre moved to Los Angeles to work at L’Orangerie. He was promoted to head chef at the age of 25 and made L’Orangerie one of the top-rated restaurants in California, receiving the Mobil Five Star Award. Lefebvre then moved on to Bastide where he also received the prestigious Mobil Five Star Award. Lefebvre was a nominee for the James Beard Foundation “Rising Chef Award” in 2001 and released his first cookbook, “CRAVE, a Feast of the Five Senses” in 2005. Lefebvre recently was tapped by the Tao Group to create the menu for LAVO in Las Vegas and is now back in Los Angeles to open Ludo Bites in the Spring of 2009. He currently resides in California with his wife, Kristine.

Competing for: C.H.A.S.E. for Life

A Chicago based chef, award-winning author and restaurateur, Rick Bayless has received accolades ranging from “Best Chef of 1988″ by Food & Wine and “Best American Chef: Midwest” from the James Beard Foundation. His first restaurant, which opened in 1987, is the colorful, vivacious Frontera Grill located in Chicago that specializes in Mexican cooking. In 2007, Frontera took home the coveted “Outstanding Restaurant” award by the James Beard Foundation. His second project, Topolobampo, which opened in 1989, is also a 4-star fine-dining Mexican restaurant. Bayless has appeared in a number of television shows including The Today Show, Good Morning America and Martha Stewart Living. In addition to his appearances, he has contributed to Saveur and written for Food & Wine, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Cooking and Travel & Leisure. Bayless’s own show; PBS’s Mexico One Plate at a Time is now in its 7th season.

Competing for: Frontera Farmer Foundation

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Wilo Benet honed his craft in several New York City restaurants such as Maurice, Le Bernardin and the Water Club. Benet was called in upon in 1988 to become Chef de Cuisine of “La Fortaleza,” the Governor of Puerto Rico’s Mansion. After two years, he opened his flagship restaurant, Pikayo, which is now located at the Puerto Rico Museum of Art in San Juan and specializes in timeless classics. In 2004, Benet opened Payá, his creole fusion restaurant and last month opened his third gastronomic scenario, Varita, which features comfort foods from Puerto Rico. Last year he wrote, Puerto Rico True Flavors, which won “Best Cookbook in English & Spanish” at the 10th Annual International Latino Book Awards during Book Expo America.

Competing for: San Jorge Children’s Foundation

Michael Chiarello is the acclaimed Napa Valley chef/owner of Bottega Restaurant, as well as award-winning author, Emmy-winning host of “Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello,” and tastemaker behind NapaStyle, a specialty brand of foods and handcrafted products. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chiarello’s knowledge of cooking began at an early age in the home of his Italian family. He was honored as “Chef of the Year” by Food and Wine Magazine at age 23, and again while at his iconic Napa Valley restaurant, Tra Vigne, in the mid-80’s. He is the host of numerous shows on PBS, Fine Living and Food Network. He is also the proprietor of Chiarello Family Vineyards, making small production, highly rated red wines from his vineyards in the Napa Valley. He has cooked and entertained thousands, including former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and the sous-chef to the Dalai Lama. Chiarello incorporates his personal passion for living seasonally and sustainably into his businesses—from the purveyors he supports as a chef/restaurateur, to the products he designs for NapaStyle, to the earth-friendly farming he employs at Chiarello Family Vineyards.

Competing for: The Clinic Ole Foundation

Sweden native Nils Noren attended his hometown Culinary School in Gavle before developing culinary expertise in several of Stockholm’s finest restaurants, including Restaurant Riche and Restaurant KB. He moved to the United States to accept a position at New York’s Aquavit, working as chef de cuisine alongside Marcus Samuelsson before being promoted to executive chef in 2003. Noren currently serves as Vice President of Culinary Arts for The French Culinary Institute’s culinary, pastry, bread and Italian food departments. In a 2008 survey of 40 top New York chefs, Noren was voted “The chef that should have gotten an award by now, but hasn’t.”

Competing for: Friends of The FCI

From 1994 to 2005, Moonen earned 3 stars from the New York Times for his work at Oceana, Molyvos, and RM in New York City. Moonen was the executive chef at the Water Club and his passion and vocalization of sustainable seafood practices led him to publish Fish Without a Doubt in 2008. Sensitive to consumers’ home cooking needs, the cookbook is intended to serve as inspiration to chefs for their cooking choices. In February 2005, Chef Moonen opened his multi-level restaurant Rick RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Competing for: Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association

Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson began his celebrated culinary career at the Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1999, he moved to Paris to obtain his Certificate d’Aptitude Professionnelle at the renowned Ecole Gregoire-Ferrandi. He then went on to apprentice under Benoit Guichard at the famed Jamin, a two-star Michelin restaurant praised for its classic French cuisine. Mackinnon Patterson continued to hone his culinary skills working under owner and chef Guy Guilloux at La Taupiniere in Pont Aven, Brittany. After moving back to the U.S. in 2001, he worked at the celebrated The French Laundry in Yountville, California. It was there that he met his current business partner, Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey. Stuckey and Mackinnon Patterson own Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado, with cuisine inspired by the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. Mackinnon Patterson’s food is heralded by many as the best in Colorado, and he’s got the awards to prove it. He was named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs in July 2005 and won 2008 Best Chef: Southwest from the James Beard Foundation.

Competing for: The Children’s Hospital