Bravo's 'Top Chef' returns for season 17 with 'All Stars LA'

Premiering Thursday, March 19, at 10 p.m.

Universal Studios Hollywood announces first ever Bravo’s Top Chef Food & Wine Festival to coincide with season 17 premiere

Bravo's "Top Chef" announced the cast of season 17 – “All Stars LA” – featuring the fiercest group of competitors the show has seen, with 15 finalists, front runners and fan favorites from seasons past who have all returned to finish what they started and battle it out for the coveted title.

Premiering with a supersized episode on Thursday, March 19 (10-11:15 p.m. ET/PT), the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series returns with host Padma Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio and judge Gail Simmons.

Coinciding with the premiere, Bravo is teaming up with Universal Studios Hollywood for the inaugural Bravo’s Top Chef Food & Wine Festival on March 19-20. In addition, Bravo and Spectra recently announced a new location of quick service restaurant Top Chef Quickfire to open in January in Philadelphia.

Meet the all-stars:

• Eric Adjepong (Season 16: Kentucky) Washington, D.C.
• Karen Akunowicz (Season 13: California) Boston
• Jennifer Carroll (Season 6: Las Vegas, Season 8: All Stars & “LCK” Season 7)
• Stephanie Cmar (Season 11: New Orleans) Boston
• Lisa Fernandes (Season 4: Chicago) Brooklyn
• Kevin Gillespie (Season 6: Las Vegas) Atlanta
• Gregory Gourdet (Season 12: Boston) Portland, Oregon
• Melissa King (Season 12: Boston) San Francisco,
• Jamie Lynch (Season 14: Charleston) Charlotte, North Carolina
• Brian Malarkey (Season 3: Miami) San Diego
• Nini Nguyen (Season 16: Kentucky) New York City
• Joe Sasto (Season 15: Colorado) Los Angeles
• Angelo Sosa (Season 7: Washington D.C. & Season 8: All Stars New York) San Diego
• Bryan Voltaggio (Season 6: Las Vegas) Frederick, Maryland
• Lee Anne Wong (Season 1: San Francisco & “LCK” Season 7) Maui, Hawaii

Universal Studios Hollywood and Bravo are partnering on the inaugural Bravo’s Top Chef Food & Wine Festival from March 19-20, inviting guests on a culinary excursion. The festival will feature an all-inclusive eclectic menu inspired by the series, live cooking competitions, food and wine pairings and panels with “Top Chef” alums. To learn more or to purchase tickets, click here.

In January, “Top Chef” and Spectra, one of the nation’s leading food services and hospitality companies, will open a new location of Top Chef Quickfire in Philadelphia at the Concourse at Comcast Center. The Top Chef Quickfire menu for the premium dining concept will rotate seasonally and will feature items inspired by favorite dishes from the show’s past cheftestants. Philadelphian and past cheftestant Eddie Konrad (season 16) serves as a consultant for the new location to assist with menu development.

Bravo Media and Spectra together launched the first Top Chef Quickfire branded premium concession concept in June 2018 at SeatGeek Stadium.