Season 23 of Top Chef comes to a conclusion in a supersized episode on Monday, June 8. Tom Colicchio has served as mentor and judge on the Bravo show since its inception in 2006. The award-winning chef just dropped shocking career news on social media that left fans devastated. Keep reading to find out more about the huge news.
Tom Colicchio Makes Huge Career Change, Fans Devastated
Top Chef features the best of the best vying for a hefty prize money and major culinary opportunities. Former contestant Kristen Kish took over as host after Padma Lakshmi’s exit. Longtime judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons are often joined by big names in the culinary field as they rate the contestants’ dishes.
Bravo has already renewed the show for Season 24, despite frustration from viewers over the show airing earlier or later than its scheduled time. Tom Colicchio shared huge career news with fans, but it wasn’t about the reality show.
The highly acclaimed, award-winning chef and restaurateur announced that he’s shutting down one of his most popular restaurants. The Top Chef judge announced on Instagram that Craft is closing after 25 years. He opened the restaurant in Manhattan’s Flatiron District in 2001.
But he can no longer afford to keep it open amid rising prices. “Things have changed, rents and expenses for everything keep going up. You can’t function,” he told The New York Times in a phone interview. The restaurant made it through the pandemic, but even after changing to a cheaper menu last year, it wasn’t enough.
“Twenty-five years after setting a new paradigm for fine dining in New York, and after a quarter of a century of three-star NYT reviews, James Beard Awards, and international acclaim, I have decided to close my flagship restaurant Craft,” he wrote in a social media post.
Vallata, the restaurant next to Craft, is also closing. But fans still have a small window to visit the restaurant one final time. Craft officially closes its door on Saturday, June 27. All wines are 50% off now through closing as a gift to supporters.
What’s Next For Him?
Tom Colicchio had Top Chef fans talking from the start of Season 23 with his slimmer appearance. He’ll be back on the reality show for Season 24. But what about his restaurant career? He told the NYT that he’s keeping the lease on the Craft building, but hasn’t decided what to do with it.
“New York City has changed so much in this quarter of a century and it is time to make way for new experiments and new ideas that can compete in today’s attention economy and allow me the creative space to always grow,” he wrote on social media.
His other restaurants – Temple Court and the Bar Room in Manhattan’s Beekman Hotel; Small Batch in Garden City, New York; and Craftsteak in Las Vegas – remain open, at least for now.
Top Chef fans were heartbroken over the news that Craft is closing. Share your reaction in the comments.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger