CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the past, when people went to a restaurant, they weren’t so interested in who the chef was. 

  • Jamie Lynch is a Chef-Partner at 5Church
  • This is Lynch's second time competing on "Top Chef"
  • "Top Chef" will return with a new season in March

“Chefs were in the kitchen leading their teams. They weren’t out doing cookbook signings and stuff like that,” Chef-Partner at 5Church Jamie Lynch said. 

Chefs are now Instagram influencers, tastemakers, and in Chef Lynch’s case, learning to be a reality TV star. 

 

“Be a public speaker and be able to go out and connect with people in a way that’s not just through cooking food for them,” Lynch said. 

Chef Lynch is competing on the upcoming season of Bravo’s “Top Chef”. It’s actually his second time on the show.  

“Being in that area is nerve-wracking,” Lynch said. “It reminds me of when I first started cooking. This visceral reaction and kind of fear of what is going to end up on the plate.” 

In a first on the show, Chef Lynch gave up his immunity during a round of competition which led to him being voted off. 

“I stand by my decision, but I definitely felt like I left something on the table,” Lynch said. 

Now, competing again on a national stage, Chef Lynch says it’s less about the exposure it will bring, and more about the feeling it brings back. 

“My story was kind of in the high-octane, gritty kitchen life,” Lynch said. “And competing [in Top Chef] when the clock starts ticking, that’s the feeling that I get. That it’s go time. And that’s what I get out of [competing].”

Top Chef returns to Bravo for its 17th season, Thursday, March 19 at 10 p.m.