Here’s What Top Chef Season 1 Winner Harold Dieterle Is Up to Now
Andy Cohen is “excited about” the Top Chef champion’s next project.
Bravo’s Top Chef may be getting ready to crown its next winner as we approach the Season 19 finale, but Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen threw it back to the culinary competition’s very first champion this week.
Chef Harold Dieterle served as the guest bartender for the May 19 episode of WWHL, which featured Bethenny Frankel and Ali Wentworth as guests. With The Real Housewives of New York City alum in the Bravo Clubhouse, it was only fitting that Andy Cohen introduced Harold by referencing an iconic RHONY quote uttered by Dorinda Medley. “Tonight’s guest bartender was the winner of Season 1 of Top Chef,” Andy said. “And since then, I’ll tell you how his career’s been doing: pretty well, bitch.”
And that’s because one of the things Harold has done since winning Top Chef in 2006 is release a cookbook called Harold Dieterle’s Kitchen Notebook, which Andy proudly showed off on WWHL Thursday night.
After Bethenny remarked that she recognized Harold from back in the day, Andy said, “I mean, you two are, like, OG Bravo.”
Later in the show, Andy shared a photo of himself and Harold all smiles on the Top Chef Season 1 finale night. Andy had been a producer on Top Chef back when he was an executive at Bravo. “We are babies,” Andy said of the throwback photo of himself and Harold.
Several years after winning Top Chef, Harold announced the closing of his New York City restaurants, Perilla and Kin Shop, in 2015. He later went on to serve as the consulting chef for Tali Restaurant and Ten Hope. In personal news, Harold also got married and became a dad.
Now Harold is about to take his career in an interesting new direction. “Chef Harold, you’re working on something I’m excited about,” Andy said on WWHL.
The chef explained, “Upon New York state legalization, I’m trying to launch a luxury cannabis edibles and beverage brand.”
On Instagram, Harold shared more from his recent visit to the Clubhouse, teasing, “Stay tuned for my new tasty venture.”
Watch new episodes of Top Chef Thursdays at 8/7c and streaming on Peacock. Plus, catch up with the Bravo app.
