Shirley Chung Returns to Top Chef for Redemption

Last time Shirley Chung’s name was in the news, she was opening Twenty-Eight Restaurant & Lounge in Orange County after a strong show on Top Chef: New Orleans. Now she’s returning to television on Top Chef: Charleston, debuting on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 10 p.m. PST.

Chung is one of eight returning chefs from previous seasons of the show.

"It’s the ultimate challenge of old blood versus new, on the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series, as the chefs head to Charleston to battle it out alongside eight talented Top Chef newcomers," a press release touts.

Other returning chefs include Sam Talbot (Season 2: Los Angeles) from Brooklyn, New York; Casey Thompson (Season 3: Miami & Season 8: All-Stars) of Napa Valley, California; Amanda Baumgarten (Season 7: Washington, D.C.) of Chicago; Brooke Williamson (Season 10: Seattle) of Los Angeles; Sheldon Simeon (Season 10: Seattle) of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii; John Tesar (Season 10: Seattle) of Dallas; and Katsuji Tanabe (Season 12: Boston) of Los Angeles.

Chung worked at China Poblano at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas before appearing on Top Chef. In California, Chung says she may open a new restaurant in Los Angeles and still wants to bring a concept to Las Vegas.