The popular Bravo series, “Top Chef”, is based in Portland for its 18th season. The show that was filmed last fall is set to celebrate Oregon’s varied and acclaimed culinary scene by also visiting the Tillamook coast, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Tualatin and Willamette Valley wine country. The new season will feature Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons who will serve as the judging panel, as well as some former winners and finalists, in fact, Bravo is touting this season as its most packed yet with (maybe) the “best collection of chefs the show has seen in 18 seasons”. Season 18 will even be featuring two of Oregon’s own, Gabriel Pascuzzi, Chef/Owner at Mama Bird, Stacked Sandwich Shop, and Feel Good, and Sara Hauman, from Soter Vineyards.
Filming during the 2020 pandemic was not easy but it had its upsides too – during their days filming the show was even able to do some good deeds and fed hundreds of front-line workers in Portland.
Read more from Daily Variety about how Bravo was able to keep their crew and contestants safe while bringing us this exciting new season that promises to showcase the bounty, and beauty of Oregon. Premiering Thursday, April 1 from 8-9:15 p.m. ET/PT.
