Dale Talde is currently the Chef de Cuisine at Buddakan in New York City. His passion for food started at an early age as he watched his mother cook. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he went back to Chicago where he helped open Jean George Vongerichten’s Vong. He has also worked with James Beard award winning chefs Carrie Nahabedian and Shawn McClain. In 2005, he moved to New York City to open Morimoto with the Iron Chef, Masaharu Morimoto. Since his last appearance on Top Chef, his travels have taken him to the Philippines, Spain, the Caribbean, and throughout the U.S. “I’ve definitely done some growing up over the past few years, both personally and professionally, and I hope it shows in my daily life and in my food.” Dale looks forward to this shot at redemption and hopes that this will springboard his latest restaurant concepts and business ventures.