The Culinary Institute of America, known as CIA, is widely considered one of the most prestigious cooking schools in the world. Looking at their alumni — Anthony Bourdain, Grant Achatz, Charlie Palmer — and the impact they’ve had on the American culinary scene, it’s easy to see why. Now it’s time to harness that renowned culinary history to find the best chef to lead the next generation. In Next Gen Chef, 21 young chefs, some who are alumni of the CIA, will go through a rigorous gauntlet of challenges in their quest to win a whopping $500,000. 

Next Gen Chef is hosted by Olivia Culpo, who tells Tudum, “Next Gen Chef feels bigger than a cooking competition…. They had to tell a story on a plate.” Culpo’s joined by two prestigious CIA graduates as judges: Top Chef winner Kelsey Barnard Clark and master sommelier Carlton McCoy. “The caliber and expectations of these young chefs makes this [show] different,” Clark says. McCoy adds, “We are looking for who the leaders in our industry will be.” 

Guest judges include a swath of America’s finest foodies, like James Beard Foundation honorees Christina Tosi, Susan Feniger, Kwame Onwuachi, Paul Carmichael, and Dale Talde; as well as Michelin-starred chefs Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz, and Daniel Boulud. Culpo says that the all-star lineup lit a fire under the young chefs, “There were moments when a single piece of feedback completely changed the way [a contestant] approached a dish, and you could almost see it click for them in real time.” 

When will Next Gen Chef be released?

Stream Episodes 1 through 7 on Sept. 17. Stream the finale, Episode 8, on Sept. 24.

Where can I find the trailer for Next Gen Chef?

Check it out at the top of this page. 

S.Pellegrino is featured throughout the season as the chefs’ sparkling water of choice.

Who’s in the cast of Next Gen Chef?

Model and restaurateur Olivia Culpo hosts the show. Here’s who’s who among the judges:

• Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark, the winner of Top Chef Season 16, a James Beard award semifinalist and founder of the upscale Southern food restaurant KBC in Alabama
• Carlton McCoy, a master sommelier, James Beard Foundation trustee, and the president and CEO of Heitz Cellar

The guest judges:

• Food critic Francis Lam
• Chef Cat Cora, the first woman Iron Chef (Iron Chef America) and founder of Cat Cora’s Kitchen and Cat Cora’s Taproom
• Chef Paul Carmichael, the James Beard semifinalist and founder of the Caribbean restaurant Bar Kabawa and executive chef of the Momofuku portfolio of restaurants
• Chef Susan Feniger (Top Chef Masters, Too Hot Tamales), the James Beard award–winning co-founder of Border Grill
• Chef Dale Talde (Top Chef Seasons 4 and 8), a James Beard semifinalist and the founder of the Cantonese restaurant Goosefeather
• Chef Christina Tosi (Chef’s Table, Bake Squad) James Beard award–winning founder of the bakery Milk Bar
• Chef Kwame Onwuachi (Top Chef Season 13), the James Beard award–winning founder of the NYC restaurant Tatiana
• Chef Daniel Boulud, Michelin-starred chef and founder of Café Boulud
• Chef Grant Achatz (Chef’s Table), founder of the Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant Alinea
• Chef Thomas Keller, founder of the Michelin-starred California restaurant The French Laundry

What happens in Next Gen Chef?

When the first episode of Next Gen Chef opens on CIA’s historic, Hogwarts-esque campus, 21 bright-eyed chefs are lulled into a false sense of security by the peaceful and picturesque setting. Little do these twentysomething chefs know they’re about to embark on the most intensive culinary challenge of their lives. A three-team, seven-course menu serves as the entrance exam, and half of the hopefuls are sent home before they even have a chance to move into the CIA dorms. 

The remaining 12 chefs are tasked with producing unique family-style menus, dishes featuring parts of food that are often thrown away, fast-casual concepts that can be scaled up to campus market food stalls and bakeries, and the fine-dining tasting menus of tomorrow. Clark tells Tudum that she was most excited to see the young chefs tackle “the soufflé and French omelet challenges.… There’s nothing you can hide when it comes to simple, French technique.” McCoy, on the other hand, says that “pastries and desserts are always the most difficult challenge for young cooks.… It’s almost impossible to just shoot from the hip if you don’t have years of reps executing the recipes.”

And with a finale table guest judge lineup that reads like a murderers’ row of culinary tastemakers, these ambitious chefs will need to bring their A game. They may be ready for any culinary quest, but only one will become the Next Gen Chef.

Where does Next Gen Chef take place?

Next Gen Chef was filmed at CIA’s Hyde Park campus, which is located in New York’s Hudson Valley, a thriving food community.

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