Jackson Kalb is one of the 15 contestants in Top Chef Season 19. He is a Los Angeles-based chef and entrepreneur. Along with his wife, Melissa Kalb, Kalb owns and operates the Italian restaurants Jame Enoteca and Ospi in Los Angeles. He is also a partner and chef at Wake and Late, a breakfast burrito restaurant. Jackson and Melissa tied the knot in January of this year. Kalb proposed to his now-wife Melissa during an NBA game in January 2020 in a swoon-worthy proposal. A flash mob, a live DJ, Bruno Mars, and basketball player King James were all part of the extravagant proposal. The couple documented their adventure on social media.
Jackson Kalb’s Culinary Adventure
The Food Network is responsible for Kalb’s passion for cooking. When he was 11, he became ill and binge-watched its shows, and when he was 12, he found a catering company that could train him in the culinary arts. He trained throughout high school and then graduated from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in 2013. He went on to work as a culinary manager for the Hillstone Restaurant Group after graduating. During this time, he met Melissa, who went on to become her life partner and business partner.
Kalb left the Hillstone Restaurant Group and spent two years in Italy learning everything there is to know about pasta. In 2016, he returned to The Factory Kitchen as Chef de Cuisine and later as Executive Chef at Bottlefish (in 2017).
His upcoming plans are listed in his bio on Bravo’s website as:
“In 2022, he plans to open Gemma di Mare, his third restaurant in Los Angeles.” He is also working on a line of jarred pasta sauces and software to assist independent chefs.”
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Everything you need to know about Top Chef Season 19
Kalb is one of many talented chefs competing for the title of Top Chef America, a $250,000 grand prize, and a feature in Food and Wine magazine. Padma Lakshmi will host Top Chef Season 19, and she will also judge the contestants’ skills alongside head judges Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio. Several guest judges will appear on the show throughout the season, including Marcus Samuelsson, Wylie Dufresne, Bricia Lopez, Eric Ripert, Carlotta Flores, Alexander Smalls, and Daniel Boulud, and Hunter Lewis.
