Perhaps most recognizable as the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars and now a regular judge on Top Chef, as well as a rotating judge on Fox's hit show Master Chef, RICHARD BLAIS is a successful chef, restaurateur, James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and television personality. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he went on to train at some of the world’s most esteemed restaurants, including The French Laundry, Daniel, Chez Panisse, and el Bulli. Blais then relocated to Atlanta to oversee a local seafood concept, and his creative approach to cooking and cuisine led to the establishment of Trail Blais, Inc., a culinary company that has consulted on, designed, and operated multiple locations Flip Burger Boutique in Atlanta, Birmingham, and Nashville, and Juniper & Ivy and The Crack Shack restaurants in San Diego, where he now resides. Blais’s debut cookbook, Try This at Home: Recipes from My Head to Your Plate, was a finalist for a James Beard Foundation Award. Blais regularly appears as a host and judge on Food Network on programs such as Guy’s Grocery Games, Cutthroat Kitchen, Celebrity Food Fight, and Rachael vs. Guy. He has appeared on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, The Rachael Ray Show, The Chew, The Talk, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, as well as in numerous publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, People, InStyle, and more. He lives in California.
