Where Bravo’s Top Chef Filmed in Charlotte
Discover the Charlotte-area places featured on each episode of “Top Chef” season 23.
by Arielle Patterson
Located between the mountains and the coast, Charlotte pairs Southern hospitality with innovative global cuisine and culinary creativity. It’s no wonder the Queen City was picked to host season 23 of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” Every episode, the cheftestants and judges visit several places throughout the region that reflect the city’s culture, flavor and lush landscapes. Explore these Charlotte-area locations featured during the season.
Episode 7: Desserts Fit for a Queen
The chefs began this episode greeted by host Kristen Kish sitting in a rocking chair in the “Top Chef: Carolinas” kitchen. She was joined by "Southern Charm" cast members, Madison LeCroy and Craig Conover, for a quickfire challenge inspired by Cracker Barrel’s all-day menu. Working in teams of three, each chef is responsible for creating a course — either breakfast, lunch or dinner — however only one chef can cook at a time. The winning team received $12,000.
After the quickfire, Kristen invites the cheftestants to “the celebration of the season.” In honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz — the city of Charlotte’s namesake — and the 20th anniversary of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” the chefs were challenged to create a dessert fit for a queen. The chefs had three hours to choose a dessert to use as inspiration and bake before serving a party of 60 superfans in the kitchen.
The chefs didn’t get a break after the elimination, as they had to form their teams for next week’s Restaurant Wars and start concepting their restaurant and menu.
Keep watching this season of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” Mondays on Bravo, then streaming on Peacock the next day.
Episode 6: Going Whole Hog
A staple of Carolina cuisine is barbecue, which is why host Kristen Kish jumped right into this week’s elimination challenge. The chefs met fourth-generation pitmaster Sam Jones, who Kish described as “an authority in Eastern North Carolina barbecue.”
Working in two teams, the cheftestants dug into the slow-smoked challenge of whole-hog barbecue. A chef from each team selected a part of the hog — shoulder, loin, belly, ham and, the Carolinas signature style, chopped — to prepare for this head-to-head barbecue battle.
Before the chefs set off for their cooking prep and long night of smoking pork, they got a chance to try some of the region’s best barbecue. The first stop was Sweet Lew’s BBQ in Charlotte’s Belmont neighborhood to meet pitmaster and owner, as well as founder of the Carolina BBQ Festival, Lewis Donald, who explained the art form of smoking a whole hog.
Next stop was Lexington Barbecue, which is about an hour north of the Queen City in Lexington, North Carolina, to meet the Monk family. Lexington serves Western-style barbecue that uses chopped shoulder meet and tomato-based sauce. While Eastern style uses the whole hog with a vinegar-based sauce.
The chefs went to Super G Mart in Pineville, a 108,000-square-foot international grocery store, to shop for their ingredients before making their way to Splendor Farm in Mooresville to begin smoking their hogs and prepping their dishes.
The chefs presented their dishes to the judges and guest judge chef Michelle Wallace who is a “Top Chef: Wisconsin” alum and pitmaster. Joining them were some of the top pitmasters in the region, including Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s and Matthew Barry of Midwood Smokehouse.
Episode 5: Cut and Dry
The chefs began the day with a view of the Around the Crown 10K, a race around the I-277 inner loop, from their suites at the Element Charlotte Uptown. After, the cheftestants went to the “Top Chef: Carolinas” kitchen for this week’s quickfire challenge.
Comedian and North Carolina native Fortune Feimster joined host Kristen Kish for an improv-themed quickfire with some extra special guests who Kish described as “the toughest critics you’ll probably ever face,” children. For this challenge, the chefs had to create a dish inspired by the kids’ choices. The winner of this challenge received $10,000. NBC Universal also made a $10,000 donation to Comic Relief, a nonprofit that raises funds to end childhood poverty through comedy.
After the quickfire, Kish explained that Charlotte is home to the world’s largest manmade whitewater river located at the Whitewater Center. In contrast to the Whitewater Center’s rushing rapids, for this week’s elimination challenge, the chefs were tasked with creating an elevated dish that showcases dehydrated components.
The chefs had 75 minutes in the kitchen to start the dehydration process before letting off some steam at the Whitewater Center. In addition to Class II-IV whitewater rapids, this 1,300-acre outdoor center also boasts ziplines, ropes courses, climbing walls, an on-site restaurant and more year-round activities and events.
The next day, the cheftestants returned to the Whitewater Center to finish preparing their dishes. They served their dehydrated plates to the judges with special guests North Carolina chef and “Top Chef: Wisconsin” finalist, Savannah Miller, as well as local restaurateurs, Joe and Katy Kindred. Chef Joe Kindred, a multiple James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef, and his wife own Kindred in Davidson; Hello, Sailor in Cornelius; Albertine in Uptown Charlotte and milkbread.
Episode 4: Pick a Side
On the heels of a colorful elimination challenge, the chefs returned to the “Top Chef: Carolinas” kitchen and were greeted by season 22 winner, Tristen Epps-Long.
For this week’s quickfire challenge, the chefs were invited to “take flight” in honor of Orville and Wilbur Wright’s historic first flight. Instead of taking to the skies, the chefs worked in teams to create food flights based on the portfolio of Josh Cellars’ wines. The winning team received $15,000.
After announcing the winning team, Charlotte chef Greg Collier wheeled out a table full of classic Southern sides. Collier, the owner of Bayhaven Restaurant Group and three-time James Beard nominee, prepared the sides himself. Collier explained the historical importance, along with his personal connection, to these side dishes, including collard greens, fried okra, smothered cabbage, Hoppin’ John, hoe cakes and potato salad.
For the elimination challenge, the chefs must turn one of these classic sides into a main dish. To prepare, the chefs visited Deep Roots Farm in north Charlotte. Husband-and-wife founders, Wisdom and Cherie Jzar, explained that this is a regenerative farm that focuses on improving and rebuilding the ecosystem. The Piedmont region’s year-round growing season makes Deep Roots Farm the perfect location for picking the freshest produce for this challenge.
The next day, the chefs went to Fine & Fettle in SouthPark, where Collier is the executive chef, to prepare their dishes for the elimination challenge. At this modern American, farm-to-table restaurant, Collier features Hoppin’ John on the dinner menu as an entrée with oxtail.
The cheftestants served their elevated sides to Kristen Kish, Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio, who were joined by guest judges chef Tristen Epps-Long as well as restaurateurs Greg and Subrina Collier.
Episode 3: True Colors
After the chefs brought the heat for the seven-course progressive spice challenge, things cooled down when they returned to the “Top Chef: Carolinas” kitchen for this week’s quickfire challenge. There, the cheftestants were joined by culinary icon, chef Emeril Lagasse, host Kristen Kish and a Carolinas staple, livermush.
Livermush blends pork liver and other parts with cornmeal and spices to create a loaf that’s typically fried. For the quickfire, the chefs were tasked with creating an elevated dish featuring livermush. Here in Charlotte, you can order livermush for breakfast alongside eggs at Eddie’s Place, a beloved neighborhood restaurant. Or visit the walk-up window at Brooks Sandwich House, a local favorite for more than 50 years, for a livermush sandwich.
For this week’s elimination challenge, the chefs paid tribute to North Carolina’s manufacturing heritage. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a booming textile industry helped propel Charlotte from a small town into a thriving city. You can still see this history at places like Optimist Hall and Atherton Mill, which are now both popular retail and dining destinations.
Using natural food-dyed elements, the chefs had to create vibrant dishes to pay homage to Charlotte’s rich textile history. After shopping at a Whole Foods in southeast Charlotte, the chefs returned to the kitchen to begin their colorful cooking.
Later, the chefs finished preparing and served these artfully crafted plates to the judges in the dining room of Supperland, a restored mid-century church in Plaza Midwood. Supperland owners Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown joined Kristen Kish, Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio, as well as guest judge Amirah Kassem.
Episode 2: Puckerbutt
Following the first elimination challenge, the cheftestants began the next day at the new “Top Chef: Carolinas” kitchen. This beautiful kitchen was built in a warehouse in Steele Creek and was outfitted with state-of-the-art appliances, a fully stocked pantry and the iconic Charlotte crown on full display.
Chefs were joined by host Kristen Kish and “Top Chef” season 12 winner Mei Lin, who was carrying an assortment of Talenti gelato and sorbetto. Using these Talenti flavors, the chefs had to create a savory dish that highlights the ingredients from the region that inspired their gelato selection. The chef with the winning dish received a $10,000 prize.
From sweet to heat, after the quickfire challenge, the chefs learned about the world’s hottest peppers which are grown in the Charlotte region. In 2017, chili pepper breeder Ed Currie, of PuckerButt Pepper Company, created the Carolina Reaper pepper, clocking in at 1.5 million on the Scoville scale that measures the spiciness of chili peppers. The Carolina Reaper held that record for six years until Currie set a new one after creating the Pepper X (2.6 million Scoville units).
For their elimination challenge, the 14 chefs worked in two teams of seven to create a seven-course meal that gets progressively hotter. After drawing knives to determine their teams, chefs headed to the PuckerButt farm to sample some of the world’s hottest peppers. While PuckerButt’s farm is in a secret location, the PuckerButt Pepper Company shop is located about 30 minutes from Charlotte in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
The multi-course meals were served in the farm’s greenhouse to Kristen Kish, Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio, as well as guest judges chef Mei Lin, Ed Currie and Noah Chaimberg who is founder of Heatonist.
Episode 1: Carolina Roots
Season 23 of “Top Chef” started full throttle when 15 competing chefs met at Charlotte Motor Speedway for their first quickfire challenge. There, they were greeted by Kristen Kish, Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio, plus guest judges NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. Divided into teams, the chefs had to prepare and plate a dish of their choice in the time it takes a professional driver to complete 23 laps around the track. The winning team received a $15,000 prize, as well as the opportunity to take a victory lap around the track in a racecar.
After the high-speed quickfire challenge, the chefs learned about their first elimination challenge. Since North Carolina is the number one producer of sweet potatoes in the country, the chefs were challenged to create a dish featuring a Carolina-grown sweet potato that showcases their culinary personality.
To prepare for their challenge, the chefs headed to the Uptown Whole Foods to shop for ingredients. After shopping the chefs had some down time and settled into their nearby loft at Element Charlotte Uptown.
The competition then moved into the kitchen of La Belle Helene, a refined French brasserie led by “Top Chef” alum Jamie Lynch. Chefs presented their dishes in groups to Kristen, Gail and Tom, who were joined by special guest judges Jamie Lynch and Sean Brock as well as chef Chayil Johnson of Community Matters Café and chef Cheetie Kumar.
