Surprise! New contestant Soo Ahn joins ‘Top Chef’ season 21: He’ll compete in ‘Last Chance Kitchen’

“Top Chef” started its 21st season last week with 15 cheftestants vying for the grand prize, but the show revealed there will be a 16th contestant entering the kitchen: Soo Ahn will fight his way through “Last Chance Kitchen” for a chance to win a spot on the main show and ultimately win the whole competition. In past seasons Brooke Williamson, Joe Flamm and current host Kristen Kish won “LCK” and then came back to win the grand prize. Can he make that arduous climb?

“Top Chef” is unique in giving its eliminated contestants a chance to earn their way back into the competition. In the digital after-show “Last Chance Kitchen,” hosted and judged by Tom Colicchio, the ousted chefs face off against each other to complete a challenging culinary task in a limited time. The loser is eliminated from the show for good, while the winner gets to stay in “LCK” until eventually a chef is given the opportunity to return.

Cheftestant Soo Ahn’s official bio is as follows:

HOMETOWN: Seoul, South Korea and Tacoma, WA

CURRENT CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chicago, IL

OCCUPATION/PROFESSION: Executive Chef, Adalina

Soo Ahn believes that food, at its best, is a culinary adventure and pushes boundaries in his cooking to offer unique concepts for guests to indulge in. He takes the drive and competitiveness he learned from his first career as a professional golfer and translates that into the kitchen. He finds inspiration through his grandmother’s traditional recipes, childhood snacks, fast food chains and travel experiences across the U.S., South America and Korea. After taking classes at Johnson & Wales University, Soo worked his way up through the fine dining scene in Chicago. At Band of Bohemia, he helped the team retain a Michelin star and ultimately served as Executive Chef.  Now, as the Executive Chef at Adalina, Soo and the team bring Italian favorites to Chicago’s Gold Coast, reimagining them using unique flavors and techniques. Within a year of being open, Adalina has attained multiple recognition from Eater Chicago for Best Dish and Best Meal, is one of the 38 Essential Restaurants in Chicago, and was nominated as the Best New Restaurant of the Year by the Jean Banchet Awards. Outside of the kitchen, he recently got married and still plays golf as much as possible, one day hoping to play with Thomas Keller, David Chang and Tiger Woods.