Richard Blais

Richard Blais is a perfectionist with a relentless mind, and after falling short as a finalist on Top Chef: Chicago Season 4, he came back with a vengeance and ultimately won Top Chef All-Stars Season 8. Known for his innovative and personal take on classic American bistro cuisine, Richard has studied under luminaries such as Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, and Ferran Adria. A native New Yorker, he relocated to Atlanta in 2000 to oversee a local seafood concept and ultimately opened the eponymous BLAIS Restaurant to critical acclaim. BLAIS closed after a brief six month stint on the Atlanta dining scene. After a successful run at One Midtown Kitchen, Richard founded his creative culinary company, Trail Blais, which has consulted on, designed, and still operates some of Atlanta’s most popular eateries, including multiple locations of Flip Burger Boutique and HD-1. He now hopes to invest his winnings from Top Chef and finally succeed at his culinary dream, opening a fine dining restaurant in Atlanta. Richard believes cooking is an art; he incorporates global ingredients, modern cooking methods, wit and a sense of humor to all of his food. He currently resides in Atlanta with his wife Jazmin and their two daughters.