The marquee at Carolina Theatre glowed, the lobby buzzed, and the orange carpet was rolled out as fans lined up for a first look at Season 23 of "Top Chef." For one night, Charlotte was the center of the culinary universe.beautiful lede!

Before the first episode aired, Kristen Kish, Gail Simmons, and Tom Colicchio took the stage for a fireside chat, sharing their love for Charlotte, the Carolinas, and the region’s distinct food culture — praising local chefs and the ingredients that define Southern cuisine.

The host and judges of "Top Chef" held a fireside chat before the season premiere. | Photo by CLTtoday

"Charlotte doesn't have a signature dish," Simmons said. "They take the hyper-local ingredients and stories to create something that is totally hyper-particular, and that's why we were excited to come. That's something that Charlotte does really well."

That wasn't the only memorable takeaway.

"I got the sickest sunburn I've ever gotten at Charlotte Motor Speedway," said Kish. "Every season, I get a new tattoo. So I have an outline shape of the sunburn from my back with a flower and sun coming out of it, in memory of Charlotte."

After the discussion, it was time for the premiere, where 15 cheftestants began competing for $250,000, an appearance at the 2026 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, and more.

Chef Brittany Cochran — the only competitor representing the Queen City — drew loud cheers during her introduction.

"It's very exciting, very intimidating," Cochran told CLTtoday after the premiere. "To represent Charlotte and have these chefs come back to Charlotte is really awesome."

Stay tuned to the action. "Top Chef" airs every Monday on Bravo, starting Monday, March 9 at 9 p.m. and on Peacock.

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