In the Season 13 premiere episode of Top Chef, ‘Something Old, Something New’, eight new chefs and eight returning chefs meet in Charleston, South Carolina. The first battle has the rookies using whole chickens while the veterans work with shrimp-and-grits. One of the most recognizable returning chefs is Sam Talbot. He was the runner-up on Season 2 (Los Angeles) and voted “Fan Favorite.”
Talbot has since opened The Surf Lodge in Montauk, worked with Morgans Hotel Group to open Imperial No. Nine at the Mondrian SoHo, and published his first book, The Sweet Life: Diabetes without Boundaries. Sam was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when he was 12. He recently founded the non-profit organization Beyond Type 1 with singer Nick Jonas. Talbot is now working on opening Pretty Southern in Brooklyn which will serve clean fried chicken and “elevated southern comfort food.” Top Chef airs Thursdays at 10pm on Bravo.
