“Top Chef Masters” will return for Season 2, Bravo confirmed Thursday, also announcing that ”Top Chef” veteran Gail Simmons will join the judging panel. Restaurant critic Gael Greene, culinary expert James Oseland and food critic Jay Rayner will return as judges,…

“Top Chef” came for lunch, bringing host Padma Lakshmi, judge Gail Simmons and two teams of chefs for an informal Quickfire challenge – “make the best dish you can” in 20 minutes from raw ingredients to plating. On the “old school”…

NBC is building an edifice on the back lawn of the Langham hotel in Pasadena, home of the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour. The second of the broadcast networks (after CBS) to present its fall schedule, NBC will gather its…

I’ve enjoyed “Top Chef: Masters” well enough, but it’s great news that the real thing is back  Aug. 26 on Bravo with a season shot in Las Vegas. All the usual players are back, including judge Gail Simmons, who missed…