August 19, 2009 — Five National Restaurant Association members are competing on the latest season of Bravo’s "Top Chef" series.
The show, which airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET, features 17 "cheftestants" who will compete in cooking challenges for the "Top Chef" title. This season will take place in Las Vegas, home to some of the biggest names in the restaurant industry.
The NRA members competing are Eve Aronoff, chef/owner, Eve, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Ash Fulk, Trestle on Tenth; New York City; Kevin Gillespie, chef/owner, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta; Michael Isabella, executive chef, Zaytinya, Washington, D.C.; Bryan Voltaggio, chef/partner, Volt, Frederick, Md.
Over the next five days, the Hospitality Careers Training Center will post each Chef's Bio.
Michael Isabella
Michael Isabella wants to be the Jose Andres of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine.
Andres is credited with putting Spanish food on the culinary map in America, and Isabella wants to do the same thing for Greek and Mediterranean food. It’s also why he tried out for "Top Chef."
Andres is credited with putting Spanish food on the culinary map in America, and Isabella wants to do the same thing for Greek and Mediterranean food. It’s also why he tried out for "Top Chef."
Isabella noticed previous "Top Chef" seasons didn’t feature that style of food. So he thought he might have an edge over this season’s competition and be able to give Greek and Mediterranean cuisine the recognition and respect he says it deserves.
"The No. 1 reason why I went on ['Top Chef'] was to get this cuisine out there," he says. Unlike France, which is "all about food," Greece has more mom and pop eateries than Michelin-rated restaurants. And because there are few cooking schools, "No one is really veering off and coming to the states to cook upscale Greek food."
Isabella built his culinary repertoire by cooking in kitchens along the East Coast. Starting in New York City, he moved to Philadelphia, working at Alma de Cuba, a modern-Cuban restaurant, and El Vez, cooking Mexican food and working with Jose Garces, a James Beard award-winning chef.
Isabella also worked at Kyma, a fine-dining Greek restaurant in Atlanta, where he says he improved his cooking techniques under Chef Pano Karatassos.
Isabella also worked at Kyma, a fine-dining Greek restaurant in Atlanta, where he says he improved his cooking techniques under Chef Pano Karatassos.
Then Isabella received what he calls the biggest opportunity of his life. Andres offered him the position as executive chef at Zaytinya, where he has the freedom to create innovative Greek, Turkish and Lebanese food.
There, he passes to his staff the lessons in hospitality he learned in Atlanta and from his Greek/Italian heritage: to provide great food, guest experience and service.
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