Ilan D. Hall is an American chef, best known as the winner of the second season of the Bravo television network's reality series "Top Chef," ahead of Marcel Vigneron. Hall's hometown is Great Neck, New York, USA. As a child, he attended Elizabeth Miller (E.M) Baker elementary school and Temple Israel Hebrew school, a conservative Jewish temple. Now as of 2007, Ilan resides and works in New York City. Ilan’s parents were both immigrants: his father from Scotland, …

Cat Cora 's culinary aspirations began at an early age, and by 15, she had developed a business plan for her own restaurant. In 2005, she made television history on Food Network's Iron Chef America as the first and only female Iron Chef, and in November 2006 Bon Appetit Magazine bestowed her with their Teacher of the Year Award, an award she calls, "the greatest recognition she could achieve as a chef".

Marcel Vigneron is an American chef, and is perhaps best known as the runner-up of the second season of "Top Chef", placing behind Ilan Hall. Vigneron is originally from Bainbridge, Washington, and currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he is a Master Cook at Joël Robuchon. He was educated at the Culinary Institute of America at the same time as Ilan Hall, and had a fellowship as a sous chef at the Institute's restaurant.

Anthony Michael "Tony" Bourdain (born June 25, 1956) is an American author and the "Chef-at-Large" of "Brasserie Les Halles", based in New York City with locations in Miami, Florida, and Washington, D.C.. Bourdain is also host of the Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure program, "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations".

William Todd English (born August 29, 1960) is a celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and television star based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is best known for his cooking show, "Cooking With Todd English", which appears on public television and is produced by Connecticut Public Television; and for his flagship restaurant, Olives, located in Charlestown, Massachusetts. As of 2007, Todd stars in "Food Trip with Todd English", …

Michael Chiarello (born January 26, 1962 in Red Bluff, California, USA) is an American celebrity chef specializing in Italian-influenced California cuisine. He hosts the cooking show, "Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello", on the Food Network and hosts "NapaStyle" on the Fine Living Network. Chiraello owns a winery, Chiarello Family Vineyards, and NapaStyle, a purveyor of food, cookware, and furniture.

Walter S. Scheib III (born May 3, 1954) was the White House executive chef from 1994 until 2005. Scheib is known for his creation of a distinctly American cuisine for the White House. He was responsible in this role for preparing everything from simple First Family dinners to very formal State Dinners. His creations were served to many of the highest dignitaries in the world, including Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, Vicente Fox, Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela and Boris Yeltsin.

Rocco DiSpirito (born November 19, 1966 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, USA) is an American chef based in New York City. He is a 1986 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and a 1990 graduate of Boston University with a bachelor's degree in business. DiSpirito is known for his Italian-American cuisine and his innovative fusion cooking; his mother, Nicolina, is known for her Italian meatballs.

Roy Yamaguchi is a Japanese-American Celebrity Chef. Yamaguchi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan but now lives in the U.S. State of Hawaii. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, he spent time in Los Angeles in apprenticeships at L'Escoffier and L'Ermitage under the late master chef Jean Bertanou. He was soon elevated to executive chef status with stints at Le Serene and Le Gourmet. He then opened the Euro-Asian 385 North in West Hollywood, …

Sara Moulton is the executive chef of "Gourmet magazine" and was host of the Food Network show "Sara's Secrets" and "Cooking Live". After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1974 with no plans for a career, Moulton attended the Culinary Institute of America. She then worked in restaurants in Boston and New York City and as an apprentice in Chartres, France.

Harold Dieterle, III (born 1977), of West Babylon, New York, USA, was the winner of the first season of the Bravo cable television network reality television program "Top Chef". A 1997 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he was a sous-chef at the Harrison Restaurant in New York City before leaving that position in early 2006 to plan the opening of his own restaurant. His restaurant, "Perilla", opened in May 2007 in New York City.

Michael Lorne Smith is a Canadian chef and writer, host of "Chef at Home", "Chef at Large" (both on the Food Network Canada) and "The Inn Chef". Smith graduated with honours from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York in 1991. He then worked in restaurants in London, South America and the Caribbean before coming back to North America to cook in different restaurants in Manhattan.

Michael Ruhlman (born 1963 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American writer. He is the author of 11 books, and is best known for his work about and in collaboration with American chefs, as well as other works of non-fiction. Ruhlman grew up in Cleveland and was educated at University School (a private boys' day school in Cleveland) and at Duke University, graduating from the latter in 1985.

Grant Achatz (born 1974) is an American chef and restaurateur who is considered to be on the cutting edge of the movement of menu item construction often referred to as molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine. Achatz has won numerous awards from prominent culinary institutions and publications including the "Rising Star Chef of the Year Award" for 2003 from the James Beard Foundation.

Michael Mina is an award-winning American celebrity chef and restaurateur, based out of San Francisco, California. He is also a super chef.

Wilo Benet is a Puerto Rican celebrity chef. He is the chef owner of the Pikayo and Payá restaurants as well as the president & owner of Museum Restaurant Group. Benet was introduced to the restaurant business when his father decided he should work for a living instead of doing nothing with his life. He first worked as a dishwasher at the Caribe Hilton Hotel. There he learned how to make salads, peel shrimps and make other simple kitchen chores.

Chef Anton is the stage name of Anthony S. Riniti (born 1969), a trained chef from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He is an award-winning expert with the pool cue, and a noted magician whose performance includes a unique mixture of magic, hustling tricks and billiard trick shots.

Marcel Desaulniers is the chef and part-owner of the Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia. He has hosted several television cooking shows including "The Burgermeisters" and "Death by Chocolate" and has appeared on Julia Child's television show, Baking with Julia and on PBS' cooking shows Cook-off America and Grilling Maestros. Desaulniers has authored a number of cooking books including "Death by Chocolate." He served in the United States Marine Corps and, in 1965, …

Kerry Simon is a celebrity chef and the proprietor of Simon Kitchen & Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Simon LA, in Los Angeles, California.

Anne W. Burrell is an American celebrity chef and instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Burrell appears as one of Iron Chef Mario Batali's assistants in the American television spin-off series Iron Chef America. Burrell is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has studied at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners and in various restaurants in Italy.

Alex Garcia is a Nuevo Latino chef who helped popularize a version of Cuban food at several New York City restaurants and on the Food Network. After spending a few years working as a waiter, Alex attended Northeastern University in Massachusetts where he earned a degree in hotel and restaurant management. He later attended the Culinary Institute of America, and Florida International University.

Rocco DiSpirito Rocco DiSpirito was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens. His culinary experience and love of "the good life" through cooking and dining began at age eleven in his mother Nicolina's kitchen. By the age of 16, DiSpirito entered the Culinary Institute of America. He graduated with honors in 1986 and studied abroad at Jardin de Cygne in France with Dominique Cecillon and Gray Kunz.