Here's a fact: Chef Wesley True of The Optimist was nominated for the James Beard Award for "Best Chef of the South" two years in a row.
This year, he will also appear on the 13th season of Bravo's " Top Chef ."
“I thought I was going to be the guy with a great resume, but I was mistaken,” True said. “Bravo wanted to bust out with the big guns, so there’s way more James Beard nominees [this season]. The competitive edge that I thought I was going to have wasn’t there. This is the hardest ‘Top Chef’ yet; it's more like ‘Top Chef Masters.’”
The competition between True and the other 16 cheftestants will kick off with a two-night premier at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2 and Thursday, Dec. 3. In addition to the usual high-pressure kitchen and Sudden Death Quickfire challenges, cheftestants will go knife-to-knife in new challenges, which includes catering a gay wedding and a plating competition, where the winner and loser will be determined by Instagram fans.
When asked what True did to prepare for the competition, he said, “I’ve been cooking for 16 years. I worked in top kitchens. That’s a good way to prepare. I tried to memorize some recipes, but I never actually got to use. The show is not what you think it is; it’s fifty times tougher than what you see on television.”
For a sneak peak of the upcoming season, visit http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-13/videos/top-chef-california-west-coast-here-we-come.
To read more about "Top Chef" and Chef True's appearance, click here.
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