The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Why has ‘Top Chef’ never come to Georgia?
Despite rich food culture, deep bench of talent, state has been shut out.
Bravo’s “Top Chef” contestants have cooked wild boar in the sno winTell uride, Colo. They fed judges in the outfield of Boston’s historic Fenway Park. They
created “sexy” dish es at a San Francisco fetish shop with cheeky names like Naughty Nuts and Edible Underwear Drawer.
But no “Top Chef ”ca merahas ever graced award-winning Atlanta restaurant Bacchanalia, captured the delights at Your DeKalb Farm
ers Market or popped inside Paula Deen’s the Lad ya nd Sons restaurant in Savannah.
Whyhas the sturdy reality competition show, shooting its 16th season now in Kentucky, ignored Georgia so far?
Loca l contestants don’t understand it, and a “Top Chef ” producer, unfortunately, couldn’t provide a clear answer.
“For as much progres s as Atlanta has made as a so-called food city the past five or 10 years, you’d think we’d be a very attractive destination for a show like ‘Top Chef,’ ” said Ron Eyester, who competed on “Top Chef ” sea
son 12 in Boston and no ww orks at Food 101 in Atlanta. “Atlanta
has evolved into the ultimate melting pot. I feel like that lends itself to being lik eaN ew York of the South.”
Kevin Gillespie, a finalist and fan favorite from season six of “Top Chef ” who is now fighting renal cancer, is equally confused. (His local restaurants include Gunshow in Glenwood Park, Revival in Decatur and Gamechanger at Mercedes-Benz Stad ium.) “It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “We’re a city of magnitude and relevance.”
Gillespie recently had a conversation with “Top Chef ” judge Padma Lakshmi and she noted to him how hot i twasin Kentucky. “I was like, ‘This is as close as you have ever gotten to Atlanta!’”
Ove r the p ast 12 years, “Top Chef ”pro ducers have regularly conside redb ut ultimately rejected Georgia as a show site.
Dan Cutforth, an executive producer for “Top Chef,” said in an interview that Atlanta has been a finalist at least a couple of times. For season 14, for instance,
If “Top Chef ” does eventually make it to the state, it’s doubtful it will be in 2019 since it has been in the South twice in the past three seasons.
Over 16 seasons, California has been repped three times: San Francisco, Los Angeles and a multi-city tour of the state. New York City is the only metro area to be represented twice. More recently, three full states have gotten love besides California: Texas, Colorado this past season and Kentucky for the upcoming 16th round.
Among major U.S. cities, other notable omissions to date include Detroit, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Houston, which was skipped over the year “Top Chef ” went to Texas.
States and cities do provide “Top Chef ” incentives to come because the show largely portrays them in a flattering manner. But Georgia already has among the most generous production tax credits in the country, turning the state into the third most popular for TV and film production nationwide behind only New York and California.
During the interview, Cutforth raved about Georgia.
“I have a very soft spot for Georgia,” Cutforth said. “I actually have a good friend I met when I was 18, 19 who is from rural Georgia. I have spent quite a bit of time in the state over the years. I’m very fond of Georgia. It would be an awesome place to explore. It’s so diverse. Atlanta has a really interesting mix of being very Southern but very kind of sophisticated. Atlanta offers a great range of different types of restaurants and food.” He also offered kind words to Athens and Savannah.
He was also impressed by the state when watching Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” which shot two seasons last year in metro Atlanta.
Kentucky was chosen, though, for season 16 because it’s an area that has never been explored by the show. “It hasn’t been kind of culled over by TV already,” Cutforth said. “It felt like new territory in every sense.”
Gillespie said he has personally pushed for Georgia with Cutforth but to no avail. He understood why the show chose Charleston two years ago.
“I’ve lived on the West Coast,” he said. “Charleston fits more into what people there think of the South. It’s very genteel. It has a tremendous amount of history.”
He was more befuddled by Kentucky. “No offense to Louisville, but it’s an inland city like Atlanta built on industry. We have much more to offer in so many ways,” he said.