PHILADELPHIA -- The new season of Bravo's popular culinary competition "Top Chef" pits former contestants against newcomers to the show, including a local chef who plans to open a French restaurant in Philadelphia this winter.
Sylva Senat, a French-speaking Haitian native and the executive chef behind the soon-to-open Maison 208 in Midtown Village, and seven other "Top Chef" rookies are facing off against eight veterans of the competition in the hit show's 14th season. The returning contestants include Sam Talbot of Brooklyn, who competed in season 2, Amanda Baumgarten of Chicago, who competed in season 7, and Katsuji Tanabe of Los Angeles, who competed in season 12.
The new season, which was filmed in Charleston, S.C., premieres in December.
Senat has worked at restaurants throughout the world, including in France and San Juan. He served as co-chef de cuisine at 66 Leonard Street and Mercer Kitchen in New York City and worked at Buddakan in Philadelphia before becoming executive chef of Tashan Restaurant and Lounge, an upscale Indian restaurant that closed last year.
Now working toward opening his new restaurant on 13th Street between Locust and Walnut, Senat also mentors students through a program called Career through Culinary Arts. Chefs from Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and South Carolina will be joining Senat as newcomers to the show and try to oust each other -- and the returning contestants -- from the competition.
Two other chefs from Philadelphia have won previous seasons of the reality cooking show, including Willingboro native Kevin Sbraga, the owner of Sbraga and The Fat Ham in Philadelphia, and Collingswood resident Nick Elmi, who runs Laurel on East Passyunk Avenue.
The 14th season of "Top Chef" -- which will again be hosted and judged by Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and Graham Elliot -- premieres on Dec. 1 at 10 p.m. on Bravo.
Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.