How to see Cherry Hill chef Nana Araba Wilmot to compete on 'Top Chef'
An award-winning Cherry Hill chef with Ghanaian heritage is among the contestants on the 23rd season of "Top Chef."
Nana Araba Wilmot, owner of Georgina's Private Chef and Catering Co. , is to be featured on the latest "Top Chef" installment, which premieres on Bravo on March 9 at 9 p.m. She's one of 15 chefs competing in Charlotte, North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina.
"Yes, born and raised in Cherry Hill and current resident again," she said in an email response to the Courier-Post.
Season 23 places emphasis on regional ingredients. A $250,000 grand prize is being offered.
Beginning March 16, the show is to move to its regular airtime of 9:30 p.m.
What is 'Top Chef?'
Hosted by Kristen Kish with judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, according to an announcement, the upcoming season "will be centered in the emerging and diverse culinary hub of Charlotte, North Carolina, with several episodes in Greenville, South Carolina."
The popular culinary competition show has won Emmy, James Beard and Critics Choice awards.
"This season will showcase the finest in southern hospitality, embracing the rich history, agriculture, and outdoors, as a new batch of accomplished and renowned chefs vie for the ultimate 'Top Chef' title," stated the announcement for the new season.
"With the region's freshest ingredients at their fingertips and high stakes on the line, the chefs will have to cook their best as they battle through Quickfire and Elimination Challenges designed to put their skills, creativity, and knowledge to the test."
Who is Nana Araba Wilmot?
Wilmot, an Art Institute of Philadelphia graduate, "sharpened her skills" working under culinary giants such as Jose Garces and in New York City under Marie-Aude Rose at La Mercerie, and Chef Daniel Rose at Le Coucou. The latter earned a James Beard Award and a Michelin Star.
Wilmot is also the curator of "Love That I Knead Supper Club," a West African-inspired dinner series.
She won the 2023 Culinarian Award for Black Women in Food, and while she lives in Cherry Hill, she also spends time in Philadelphia, New York City and Ghana, where she returns yearly and hosts pop ups.
Wilmot is featured in Alexander Smalls' 2024 cookbook, "The Contemporary African Kitchen," and her work has been featured in Bon Appétit, Forbes, The New York Times and Eater as well.
This also isn't her first cooking show competition: She competed on Food Network's "Chopped."
Launched 'Love That I Knead Supper Club'
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, she returned to Cherry Hill. She spent time cooking with her mom and launched the "Love That I Knead Supper Club" in her mother's backyard. The dinner series crafts "immersive dining experiences designed to help guests connect with a shared sense of home through flavor."
Her bio shares that she "celebrates global cuisine and draws her deepest inspiration from the rich foodways of the African Diaspora, particularly her Ghanaian heritage."
"There's so much oral tradition in our food," Wilmot said in an interview with Edible Philly . "I just didn't want to lose it."
How to watch 'Top Chef' season 23
Fans can gain early access to the premiere episode, available beginning March 3, on Peacock, Bravo's YouTube channel and Video on Demand.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Cherry Hill chef Nana Araba Wilmot joins cast of new 'Top Chef' season
