Meet the 'Top Chef: Washington, D.C.' Contestants

Foodies, sharpen those dicing knives and lick your lips, because Bravo's 'Top Chef' is coming back Wed., Jun. 16 at 9PM ET.

The seventh season of Bravo's Emmy-winning reality cooking competition will take place in Washington, D.C. and feature 17 chefs vying for the coveted title. Joining Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons at the judge's table is famed chef and restaurateur Eric Ripert.

As the water and tempers boil in unison, look for appearances from Washington elite such as Buzz Aldrin, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, CIA Director Leon Panetta and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough.

That now enough for you? Meet the cheftestants!


Alex Reznik
Age: 33
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY. Resides in Hollywood, CA
Profession: Executive Chef, Ivan Kane's Café Was
Culinary Education: AOS, Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas, NV

Amanda Baumgarten
Age: 27
Hometown/Resides in: Los Angeles, CA
Profession: Sous Chef, Ford's Filling Station
Culinary Education: Le Cordon Bleu in London

Andrea Curto-Randazzo
Age: 39
Hometown: Vero Beach, FL. Resides in: Miami Beach, FL
Profession: Chef/Owner, Talula Restaurant and Creative Tastes Catering
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America

Angelo Sosa
Age: 34
Hometown: Connecticut. Resides in New York, NY
Profession: Chef/Owner, Xie Xie
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America

Arnold Myint
Age: 32
Hometown/Resides in: Nashville, TN
Profession: Chef/Owner, Cha Chah
Culinary Education: Culinary Arts Diploma, Institute of Culinary Education

Ed Cotton
Age: 32
Hometown: Boston, MA. Resides in New York, NY
Profession: Executive Chef, Plein Sud at the Smyth Hotel
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America

Jacqueline Lombard
Age: 33
Hometown: Boston, MA. Resides in Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Chef/Owner, Jacqueline Lombard Events
Culinary Education: French Culinary Institute, WSET, The Sommelier Society of America

John Somerville
Age: 42
Hometown: Ohio. Resides in West Bloomfield, MI
Profession: Chef de Cuisine, The Lark
Culinary Education: BS In Engineering, University of Michigan

Kelly Liken
Age: 33
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA. Resides in Vail, CO
Profession: Chef/Owner, Kelly Liken in Vail and Rick & Kelly's American Bistro in Edwards, CO
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America

Kenny Gilbert
Age: 36
Hometown: Cleveland, OH. Resides in: Telluride, CO
Profession: President/Owner, Passionate Culinary Enterprises LLC; Chef/Partner, G's Restaurant Group
Culinary Education: Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts

Kevin Sbraga
Age: 30
Hometown/Resides in: Willingboro, NJ
Profession: Executive Chef, Rat's Restaurant at the Grounds for Sculpture
Culinary Education: BS, Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales in Miami, FL

Lynne Gigliotti
Age: 51
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA. Resides in Hyde Park, NY
Profession: Assistant Professor, Culinary Institute of America
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America

Stephen Hopcraft
Age: 40
Hometown: Cleveland, OH. Resides in Las Vegas, NV
Profession: Executive Chef, Seablue at the MGM Grand
Culinary Education: AOS, California Culinary Academy in San Francisco

Tamesha Warren
Age: 24
Hometown: Barbados. Resides in Washington D.C.
Profession: Sous Chef, The Oval Room
Culinary Education: AOS, The Art Institute of New York City

Tiffany Derry
Age: 26
Hometown: Beaumont, TX. Resides in Dallas, TX
Profession: Executive Chef, Go Fish Ocean Club
Culinary Education: AOS, The Art Institute of Houston

Timothy Dean
Age: 39
Hometown: Washington D.C. Resides in Baltimore, MD
Profession: Chef/Owner, Prime Steak House
Culinary Education: Howard University

Tracey Bloom
Age: 33
Hometown: Rochester, NY. Resides in Atlanta, GA
Profession: Executive Chef, Table 1280
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America