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The Daily Dish

Top Chef's Eli Kirshtein Feeds Spider-Man, Fights Evil

The cheftestant calls his comic book appearance "every kid's dream."

By Lauren Metz

Top Chef's Eli Kirshtein and Spider-Man
Yes, that's Top Chef's Eli Kirshtein preparing to fight crime shoulder-to-shoulder with Spider-Man. And no, we didn't whip up that cover ourselves. Eli busts out the big knives with Spidey on the cover of the new digital issue of The Amazing Spider-Man.

Marc Bernardin penned the Marvel narrative "Spider-Man: A Meal to Die For", which centers on Peter Parker taking his lady friend Carlie out for a swanky night on the town. Hiding more than a web up his sleeve, P.P. planned to impress his girlfriend by taking her to meet the Top Chef at a fancy New York restaurant – where Jay-Z and Beyonce happen to also be dining. But poor Spidey must battle more evils than kamikaze cab drivers and a snooty maître d' to save this date.

So, how does one move from Quickfire challenges to fighting super-villains? You tweet about it. Eli tweeted C.B. Cebulski, Marvel's SVP of Creator and Content Development, and asked to hang out and battle bad guys with Spider-Man. Yes, it's just that easy.

"C.B. and I met on Twitter and began to talk about food and comics regularly," the Season 6 star explains. "I, on a whim, almost jokingly asked if he could get me into Spider-Man. With no hesitation he said sure! It's an amazing honor to be part of the legend that is Spider-Man. It's every kid's dream!"

You can read Eli's Spider-Man story -- and check out his crime-figting chops -- at marvel.com.

What are other Top Chef fans saying about Eli's dining date with Spidey? Follow the buzz on all your favorite Bravo stars with our Tweet Tracker.

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