Chef Michael Chiarello Advances to Champions Round of Reality Show

Congratulations are in order for chef Michael Chiarello who recently secured a spot in the Champions Round on the first season of Bravo Channel's hit show, Top Chef Masters. The show pits 24 world renowned chefs against one another in a grueling ten week competition that tests their culinary skills under some unusual conditions. The upcoming final four weeks will showcase the cream of the crop as they compete for $100,000 towards the charity of their choice and the crown of 'Top Chef Master.' Chiarello is also the star of the Janson Media distributed series, Season by Season with Michael Chiarello. Season by Season with Michael Chiarello (22 x 30') follows the Napa Valley chef and restaurateur each week as he and his friends and family focus on a different seasonal ingredient and visit producers to learn what factors add up to the highest quality. The show was his initial foray into television, produced for public television syndication.

&'I"m Italian... born and raised in California"s Central Valley! My family have all been farmers, herdsmen, cheese makers, craftsmen, and butchers. In our household, my father made the wine (actually, mom made the wine and dad took the credit), and my mom made the vinegar and baked bread in an outdoor oven. Their lifestyle grew directly out of their land and what it produced. They ate what they could as it ripened, and preserved the rest. Food - its cultivation, preservation, and preparation - centered our family life.&' - Michael Chiarello

Season by Season with Michael Chiarello was produced by KQED-TV and is available for all television, VOD, non-theatric, and new media markets worldwide exclusive of the United States through Janson Media. Episodes from the TV series are available for online viewing at janson.tv.