Top Chef Season 18 Headshot Dale Talde

Dale Talde

Chef Dale Talde has competed twice on Top Chef in season four in Chicago, and season eight, All-Stars in New York City. He also went back to the kitchen to compete on Top Chef Duels. Dale’s passion for cooking began at a young age in his native Chicago where he learned to prepare meals alongside his mother in the kitchen. The proud son of Filipino immigrants, he grew up immersed in his family’s cultural heritage, while also enjoying the life of a typical American kid.

Dale applies this distinct Asian-American experience to his menus and hospitality concepts. His tie to culture and the arts is a strong and subtle thread in all his creations. In September of 2015, Dale’s released his first cookbook, Asian American, to rave reviews. Beyond Asian American food, he has opened and consulted on projects focused on Cantonese cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Italian cuisine, traditional bar and grills, rooftops, and nightclubs. A builder and inventor at heart, he drives the creative process for his company Food Crush Hospitality. In 2019, Dale opened Goosefeather at the Tarrytown House Estate in New York, and in the following year, it was named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America. One of his upcoming projects includes the opening of Talde Noodle and Dumpling in LaGuardia Airport’s newly renovated Terminal B Headhouse.

He has also competed on Chopped, Iron Chef America, Knife Fight and was also head judge on Knife Fight season 4, as well as guest judge on both Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay. With a strong connection to media, Dale goes beyond creating brick and mortar concepts and writes screenplays, develops show treatments, and builds creative content for social media platforms and more.