The ‘Top Chef’ Casting Team Never Packs Up Their Knives

Unlike some other — although equally beloved — cooking competition shows, the demands on a “Top Chef” contestant are intense and specific. There’s really only a small cohort of James Beard award finalists, chefs opening their first restaurants, and up-and-coming culinary stars on the Internet who can handle the wide range of demands and timed challenges of the legendary Bravo series. 

And yet, Ron Mare and the Magical Elves casting team keep finding them. 

Mare, who joined “Top Chef” in 2017, has cast Seasons 15 through 23 (and counting), told IndieWire that there are definitely some benefits to being part of such a long-running show. For as many people who decide to audition for the hell of it — and they do occasionally find some diamonds in the rough — there’s also a clear understanding within the culinary world of what “Top Chef” is, who is qualified to do it, and how, even if you don’t win the competition, the series can change your life. 

“Everyone that’s qualified to do it wants to do it,” Mare said. “When someone says no, it’s usually because they’re opening a restaurant and they can’t get away from it, or they can’t dedicate the time just yet. It’s usually a timing issue.”  

There’s no timing issue for the casting team itself, because even when they’re out of season, they’re constantly sending each other chefs on Instagram or culinary write-ups of new chefs as potential contestants to consider. “We could not be casting for another six months, but we’re like, ‘Let’s write down this person.’ We ask pretty much all of the show’s alumni, too, ‘Is there anyone you would want to recommend?’ Because they know who can handle it,” Mare said. “It doesn’t even have to be someone they know. It could be, ‘I was traveling, and I went to this restaurant and the food was amazing. Check out this person. No one’s writing about them yet.’” 

‘Top Chef’ Paul Cheney/BRAVO

Mare and his team have spreadsheets on spreadsheets tracking potential chefs, often for years before they’re invited to audition. But putting together contestants for each season is much more involved than a quickfire challenge. “It’s not even about, ‘Let’s see if [a potential contestant] gets nominated for a James Beard. Sometimes you can just tell they need another year or two before they go on,” Mare said. “We don’t want to put somebody on the show before they’re ready.” 

It’s a misconception about reality competition casting that the team is looking for potential flame-outs and drama. Mare said that “Top Chef,” more than any other series he’s worked on, wants to support and nurture potential contestants and contestants. In addition to camera tests and close research into a chef’s menus, background, and experience to see if and when a chef will thrive inside the world of “Top Chef” challenges, the casting team stays in close contact with the chefs to answer questions and guide them through each step of the process. 

“ We’re never going to put somebody on TV [just because]. We’re never gonna be like, ‘They’re twins, we have to do it.’ That’s not what it is at all,” Mare said. “They submit sample menus to us. We study them. They send over their resume. We have chefs take a look at them if we’re questioning anything. There are references. There are multiple things we do in order to ensure that the person is a good fit.”

‘Top Chef’ Paul Cheney/BRAVO

The casting team has a very long view of that good fit, as well. “Sometimes talented chefs don’t make it in, and we always reach back out to them next season. I’m sure you’ll hear some of the older Top Chefs talk about how they auditioned three, four, five times. Dan Jacobs, I think he auditioned like 10 times. Eventually, it makes sense,” Mare said. “I always tell people, if you don’t make it on, it’s not about you not being a good chef or people not liking you. You may not have fit into that puzzle for whatever reason this season, but absolutely keep in contact.” 

When the casting team knows it makes sense, it’s because each chef fits into the larger ensemble they have to build for each season, one that must feature compelling, distinct, and yet also complementary storylines. That balancing act is always simmering and something that the casting team needs to keep a close eye on; for Season 23, it was made even more challenging by the casting team embracing a few duos, which lowered the number of available slots open for other chefs.

‘Top Chef’ Paul Cheney/Bravo

“It’s such a high-level show. There’s a ton of eyes on it, and every year you want to try to do better than the last time,” Mare said. “We stumbled across [twins Jonathan Dearden and Brandon Dearden] and it felt like gold. So we continued them in the process; and then, we’ve known [couple Jennifer Jackson and Justin Tootla] for a long time. We talked to them for multiple seasons, but they came back to us out of nowhere, ready to do it. So we just embraced duos. And that’s four out of 15 slots, so all the other people that made it on were super strong.” 

Supporting strong contestants through the arduous process of “Top Chef” is a not insignificant part of the reward for Mare and his team. Every season, by selecting contestants at the exact right moment for both them and for the show, Mare and the casting team know that they have changed lives. 

“I love to see so many chefs we cast go on and do such amazing things. Like, look at Kristen [Kish], becoming the host. Look at Mei Lin, Joe Sasto, Jeremy Ford, Buddha Lo, Brooke Williamson. Brooke has that deal with Food Network. So do the Voltaggios. It’s to their own credit; it’s because they’re such talented people. It has nothing to do with me. But it is gratifying to be able to see them and watch them grow,” Mare said.