BAM! Emeril Lagasse to Judge 'Top Chef'
BAM! Bravo officially announced that celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse has signed on as a judge for next season’s "Top Chef."
The professional chef, host, and author will bring some “spice” to the show. Lagasse is known for his Cajun and Creole cooking styles. The “Emeril Empire” grosses around $150 million in revenue annually.
Also joining Lagasse is Hugh Acheson, the Food and Wine’s 2002 “Best New Chef” award winner. Acheson, who competed on the third season of “Top Chef Masters,” owns three restaurants: Five & Ten, The National, Gosford Wine, and Empire State South.
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Lagasse and Acheson will make their season debut on "Top Chef," joining top judge Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and the show’s longtime host Padma Lakshmi.
Bravo also announced a first for the “Top Chef” series – the show is going to the Texas and will take place in not one, but three different cities: Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio.
The network stated in a press release, “The new season of ‘Top Chef’ will heartily embrace the Lone Star State’s adage and all things are bigger as, in a series first, the production will head to three cities within the season.”
"Top Chef" had over 3.2 million viewers during its eighth season and was the number one cable food show for adults between the ages eighteen to forty-nine.
Season 9 of "Top Chef" is set to premiere this fall.
