In a fresh new season, Top Chef is turning up the heat on the Windy City. Fifteen new aspiring chefs converge in Chicago to whip up the competition in television¹s ultimate cook-off as they compete for $100,000, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, a gourmet dream vacation in the French Alps and the title of "Top Chef." World-renowned chef and Head Judge, Tom Colicchio, Food & Wine magazine’s Gail Simmons, food expert Ted Allen and host Padma Lakshmi serve up weekly challenges to the "cheftestants" and ultimately decide who will have to "pack their knives and go" and who will be awarded Top Chef.