In the fall, our team was deciding on who to interview for the October edition of our “First Friday” interview series, but we quickly came to a unanimous decision. There would be not one but TWO Philadelphia chefs competing in Season 11 of Bravo’s Top Chef: New Orleans. We reached out to the former chef of Le Bec Fin Nicholas Elmi, and he graciously accepted our offer.
Right away excitement buzzed through the Philly PR Girl office. You see… every reality TV contestant from Philadelphia that we’ve interviewed has won their season. It began in the summer of 2012 when we interviewed Chef Christina Wilson, who won Season 10 of FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen. Next, there was the Season 12 winner of Project Runway, Dom Streater. She “dom-inated” her season of Project Runway and is actually presenting her first New York Fashion Week today! So when we picked Chef Elmi, we said, “No pressure, but if you win, we are three for three!”
Elmi had his ups and downs this season, but despite any obstacles, he consistently excelled at his craft and remained an amazing chef. This past November, the chef opened his own establishment on East Passyunk Ave. Laurel Restaurant adds a modern French and American BYOB Restaurant in South Philadelphia. The space is intimate, seating only 24 guests at a time.
We couldn’t be more thrilled that Philly is gaining more and more celebrated talents. The city is no stranger to Top Chef winners though; Kevin Sbraga was his season’s winner of Top Chef: DC in 2010. Sbraga has been very successful at his eponymous restaurant and just opened his second restaurant, Fat Ham, in West Philadelphia.
P.S. See you soon at Laurel, Nick. We’ve made our reservations!
