Life After Top Chef

In the premiere episode of "Life After Top Chef," viewers catch a glimpse into the personal and professional lives of memorable former chef'testants - Richard Blais in Atlanta, Jen Carroll in Philadelphia, Spike Mendelsohn in D.C., and Fabio Viviani in Los Angeles. Top Chef: All-Stars champ Richard Blais is beginning construction on a new restaurant, but will his demanding career take too great a toll on his family life? Spike Mendelsohn was born into the restaurant business, and his outrageously opinionated family never lets him forget it. With two successful restaurants, the family empire is expanding, meaning a whole new slew of family feuds. "Fan Favorite" Fabio Viviani is expanding his own culinary brand with cooking classes, endorsement deals and social media, vying to become a male version of Martha Stewart, but are his workaholic ways disconnecting him from real happiness? Jen Carroll is no stranger to pressure, but after she's quit her job to open her own place, her investors start dropping out, leaving her to once again cook for somebody else. Then, competition calls as all the former chef'testants reunite at the Aspen Food & Wine Festival to cook for one of the toughest crowds in the culinary universe.

After some last minute schmoozing and boozing in Aspen, the chefs return home. Never one to rest, Fabio dives into production meetings and a charity cooking class at a local church, but when a crazed client chews him out, will Fabio finally lose his trademark cool? Richard checks in on his Flip Burger boutiques and is appalled to discover his staff is lazy, his cooks are clueless and his reputation is going up in flames. Spike fears his nosy parents will interfere with his new bistro concept, that is, if they ever stop taking jabs at his personal life. Jen's desperate quest for investors leads her to the Charleston Food & Wine Festival, where she serves up lambs and clams to the culinary elite. After a touching visit with her mom, it’s clear where Jen gets her determination.

A frazzled Richard conducts a nerve-racking menu tasting for his picky partners, and critiques construction of The Spence. Fabio meets a beverage maker in hopes of striking it rich with his own martini drink line before an overbooked charity dinner leaves his high-profile diners asking, "where's the duck?" Spike and Jen wrap up their road trip with a lesson in oyster farming. Then, it’s back to D.C., where Spike scouts his new bistro location and serves up a tasting only to have his parents derail his every decision. Meanwhile, Jen decides to launch a pop-up restaurant to woo investors and get her career back on track.