After months of online speculation (some of which started here) and cameraphone snaps, Bravo has finally confirmed that the ninth season of Top Chef is going down in Texas.

Calling it “possibly the worst kept locale secret in this moment’s culinary universe,” Bravo acknowledged what we already knew, which was that the show is currently being filmed in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, and tossed in some new tidbits, which is that chefs Emeril “Bam!” Lagasse and Hugh Acheson are joining the judges’ table for his season.

Also not officially confirmed: Whether or not Uchiko executive chef, the super-adorbs Paul Qui, is among this year’s contestants, but the Chronicle Food Editor Virginia B. Wood reported back in July a sighting of Qui with “a film crew and SUVs full of chefs” at Austin’s Restaurant Depot.

Top Chef: Texas is set to air this fall.

This article appears in August 5 • 2011.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...