Who is Damarr Brown from Top Chef? Meet head chef with a clothing line

Bravo is bringing a brand new season of Top Chef next month. A total of 15 aspiring chefs will arrive in Houston, Texas to participate in the show, of which one will be Damarr Brown from Chicago, IL.

All set to impress the judges’ panel, Brown comes with experience working in multiple of the finest kitchens. He is currently serving as the Chef de Cuisine (Head Chef) at Virtue restaurant, Chicago.

Apart from being a culinary expert, he also runs a clothing line. He is the co-founder of an online apparel store called 'Say It How You Feel It'. The company sells T-shirts and hoodies with quotes written on them. A unique part of this apparel line is that all the merchandise is black in color.

Brown co-founded the brand with Lisa, a pastry chef. Their company description reads:

“Chicago born apparel spreading community through saying it how we feel it.”

---

Damarr Brown’s love for cooking started young

Brown discovered his passion for cooking at a very young age. He learned the skill while preparing dishes with his mother, who used to buy him several cookbooks. Brown’s grandmother also supported him and spent time with him in the kitchen.

He followed the culinary styles of Emeril Lagasse and Julia Child. After pursuing culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu college, Brown worked in multiple kitchens, including the Capital Grille, MK, and a Michelin-starred restaurant, Roister.

He eventually joined hands with his mentor Eric Williams and launched Virtue Restaurant, which featured as one of America’s Best New Restaurants by Esquire in 2019.

His bio on Virtue's website reads:

“Damarr Brown supports the ideology of community, he enjoys dining at eateries near and abroad. Music history is a favorite pasttime, alongside his continual search for new or forgotten flavors and technique.”

---

All about Top Chef Season 19

Apart from Brown, Top Chef Season 19 will also feature Buddha Lo, Evelyn Garcia, Jackson Kalb, Damarr Brown, Sarah Welch, Jo Chan, Jae Jung, Leia Gaccione, Monique Feybesse, Luke Kolpin, Nick Wallace, Sam Kang, Robert Hernandez, Stephanie Miller, and Ashleigh Shanti.

They will showcase their culinary skills in the Bravo series to win a grand cash prize of $250,000. The official synopsis of Top Chef reads:

“15 of the best aspiring and promising chefs from all around America are challenged with creating amazing culinary dishes. They are competing to try and receive the title of `Top Chef America’."

Hosted by Padma Lakshmi, the show will welcome two head judges, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. The cooking show is all set to premiere Thursday, March 3, at 8.00 pm ET on Bravo.