Sylva Senat to Compete on Top Chef
Top Chef is back for a 14th season and the still-popular Bravo show has plucked another Philadelphia-based chef to compete. Sylva Senat, who came up with Dos Tacos and was the man who opened Tashan on South Broad Street will be competing on this season from Charleston, South Carolina.
Senat’s resume is deep and varied. The Haitian native has cooked across the world including at Aquavit in New York and with Jean Georges’ restaurant at Trump Hotel. He also was chef de cuisine at 66 Leonard Street and Mercer Kitchen.
In Philadelphia, Senat worked at Buddakan before being named Munish Narula’s chef at the fine-dining Tashan. There, Senat received much praise for his Indian cooking (a cuisine he had never cooked professionally before). After his stint at Tashan, he opened Dos Tacos at 15th and Sansom and has remained active mentoring children at Philadelphia’s Careers Through Culinary Arts Program, of which he’s an alum.
Senat is also part of the team that is planning Maison 208 on 13th Street between Locust and Walnut. That project has been slowed by a fire at the construction site.
Senat won’t be the only familiar to Philadelphia face on the show. Michael Solomonov will make an appearance as a guest judge.
Bravo’s Top Chef will debut on December 1st and in a twist this season, the eight new chefs will have to compete with eight veterans of the show. The returning chefs have not been named yet.
Philadelphia has done well in Top Chef seasons past with Kevin Sbraga and Nick Elmi winning their respective seasons.
We of course, are still waiting for Top Chef to come to Philadelphia for a season. Maybe that giant new Whole Foods in Fairmount will help.
