"Kelly Choi" news and stories

Spinning off the wildly popular "Top Chef," Bravo TV is pitting 24 of the best chefs around the globe against one another in a no-holds-barred knife fight for the chance to win $100,000 for charity in "Top Chef Masters." The show, which debuts Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST, comes complete with its very own Padma in Kelly Choi, a 33-year-old former model born in Seoul and raised in the suburbs of Richmond, Va.

She was cherry-picked straight from local access TV in New York, where, dressed in skimpy outfits and armed with an inquisitive mind, she gave New Yorkers an intimate view of some of the city's top kitchens. We caught up with her to talk about her rise to national stardom, how the best chefs in the world handle criticism and what the deal is with magicians acting as judges.

How did you get involved with the show?
Someone from Bravo called me out of the blue and asked me to fly out to L.A. to meet the producers. What I do on ["Eat Out NY"] is pick a dish and cook it with a chef on TV. I pick all the restaurants that I want to feature and dishes that I think the readers would be into. This Bravo exec saw me on TV and flew me out and my dream came true.

Why do you think this show matters in this economy?
Why not? Everybody loves food. The alternative is to cook at home and you can totally pick up tips. It's a fun way -- to be inspired by fun and passionate people -- to cook at home.

What do upscale eats, Bravo and "Doogie Howser, M.D." have in common?

"Top Chef Masters", obviously. The spinoff of beloved show "Top Chef" will chronicle even more chef-on-chef trials -- now among seasoned, nationally known cooks -- and feature an incredible (and slightly bizarre) range of visiting judges.

We already knew about former New York Magazine critic Gael Greene (who looks pert and dare-we-say smurfy in her red cap) and sparkly eyed host Kelly Choi, but "guest stars and judges" including Neil Patrick Harris, Zooey Deschanel and the guys who write "Lost"? Oh, "Top Chef," always keeping us guessing.

Toques include the wizardly, Alsatian-born Hubert Keller of California's Fleur de Lys, New York's Anita Lo (Anissa) and ubiquitous South-of-the-Border specialist Rick Bayless.

Never fear: Padma, Tom and Gail will all be making cameos. As per Patrick Harris, who knew he was a culinary expert?

Patient: "You're a kid."
Doogie Howser, M.D.: "True, but I'm also a genius."

We'll be the judge of that, Doogie. Click to see the 24 contestants and read their glorious bios.