Meet the 16 chefs competing for $1 million in “America’s Culinary Cup.”
CBS unveiled the lineup of award-winning chefs tapped for their new cooking competition series on Tuesday ahead of the show’s March 4 premiere. Emmy nominee and culinary expert Padma Lakshmi will host the series and judge alongside Michael Cimarusti and Wylie Dufresne.
“These standout chefs will battle through a season of signature challenges for the biggest cash prize in culinary television history — $1 million,” a description from CBS reads.
The lineup of chefs involved in the competition series already includes a slew of award winners. Among the selected participants are six Michelin-starred chefs, two Bocuse d’Or medalists, two James Beard Award winners and 14 James Beard Award nominees, among other notable accolades.
Here are the 16 chefs competing for $1 million in “America’s Culinary Cup.”

Kim Alter
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Accolade: James Beard Nominee

Katie Button
Hometown: Asheville, NC
Accolade: James Beard Winner

Keith Corbin
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Accolade: James Beard Nominee

Rochelle Daniel
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
Accolade: Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame

Diana Dávila
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Accolade: James Beard Nominee

Michael Diaz de Leon
Hometown: Denver, CO
Accolade: Michelin Starred Chef

Sol Han
Hometown: New York, NY
Accolade: James Beard Nominee

Russell Jackson
Hometown: New York, NY
Accolade: James Beard Nominee

Beverly Kim
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Accolade: Michelin Starred Chef

Buddha Lo
Hometown: New York, NY
Accolade: Michelin Starred Chef

Chris Morgan
Hometown: McLean, VA
Accolade: Michelin Starred Chef

Matt Peters
Hometown: Austin, TX
Accolade: Bocuse D’Or Gold Medalist

Malyna Si
Hometown: Jackson, WY
Accolade: Michelin Starred Chef

Cara Stadler
Hometown: Madison, CT
Accolade: James Beard Nominee

Philip Tessier
Hometown: Napa, CA
Accolade: Bocuse D’Or Silver Medalist

Emily Yuen
Hometown: New York, NY
Accolade: James Beard Nominee
Josh Silberman serves as showrunner for “America’s Culinary Cup.” The competition series is produced by Lakshmi for Delicious Entertainment and Susan Rovner for Aha Studios.

