TO BURGOO

‘Top Chef’ gets a taste of Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hoecakes and Hot Browns. Benedictine spread and burgoo stew. Not familiar with these Kentucky classics? You will be if you tune in to Season 16 of “Top Chef,” debuting Dec. 6 on Bravo. The upcoming installment of television’s culinary smackdown unfurls in the Bluegrass State, at the tippy top of the nation’s Y’all Line.

Fifteen contestants attempt to saute and sous vide their way to the winner’s circle in a series of challenges set mainly in and around Louisville, a city regarded by some as the gateway to the Midwest, and Lexington, the front porch of the South.

These two L cities, whose combined population is less than a million, align with a “Top Chef ” trend to film in less obvious locales — places that aren’t necessarily stocked with a Milky Way galaxy’s worth of Michelin star power.

“There are a lot of exciting things happening, foodwise, outside of the big cities,” said the show’s head

MICHAEL HICKEY/BRAVO MEDIA “Top Chef” head judge Tom Colicchio and host Padma Lakshmi dig into contestants’ food in the season premiere of the Bravo cooking show.