Where Was Top Chef Season 21 Filmed?

Season 21 of "Top Chef" is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 on Bravo. Since the show's inception in 2006, the primary locations have spanned from San Francisco to New York City to London. The forthcoming season of the culinary challenge, however, will take place in the one and only Badger State. For this run of the Emmy Award-winning reality program, viewers will get a glimpse into America's Heartland, a region famous for its abundance of comfort fare. Competitors will demonstrate their talents and passion for genuine Midwestern cuisine in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin's two most populous cities.

Kristen Kish, the new host of "Top Chef" and Season 10 victor, will be accompanied by judges Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio, both of whom have sat on the panel since Day 1. As 15 "cheftestants" from around the globe battle for the six-figure cash prize, the audience will witness the pros infuse some of Milwaukee and Madison's truest staples — including fresh cheeses from dairy farms, legendary fruits such as cranberries and cherries, hearty sausages, and various farmers market produce — into their innovative dishes.

Wisconsin's dynamic food scene is comprised of a variety of appetizing ingredients that have been deeply embedded into the state's culture. The "Top Chef" Season 21 contenders were given the opportunity to explore the Midwest gem's historic landscape and familiarize themselves with the wholesome, versatile nosh it has to offer. "Over the years, 'Top Chef' has started to really hone in and highlight so many different people every season and their different points of view and the foods that they grew up on," Kristen Kish said in the sneak peek of Season 21. "So, to see chefs cook that have no tie to the Midwest ... being able to see and learn and taste the integration of all those flavors come together, I think, is really exciting."

For one, the region is home to more than 7,000 dairy farms, per Wisconsin Dairy, and is the birthplace of numerous iconic beer brands such as Miller High Life, the official beer of "Top Chef," plus household names such as Pabst, New Glarus, and Leinenkugel's. Wisconsin is the top cranberry producer in the U.S., with Massachusetts as the runner-up. The Friday fish fry tradition is believed to have originated in Milwaukee's Jones Island neighborhood. During filming, Kish and Gail Simmons even treated themselves to Kopp's and Leon's, just a couple of the nation's best frozen custard joints. Get your cheese and sausage platters ready, "Top Chef" fans!