Marcel Vigneron
Encyclopedia
Marcel Vigneron is an American chef best known as the runner-up of the second season
of Top Chef
, placing behind Ilan Hall
. In 2011, he received his own program on Syfy
titled Marcel's Quantum Kitchen
, in which he has opened a molecular gastronomy
catering company.
, and currently resides in the Los Angeles
area. He was promoted to prep cook when he was just sixteen, making him the youngest person in that kitchen. [Kitchen needs to be identified] At the time of his appearance on Top Chef, he was a Master Cook at Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of November 2008, he was a Executive Sous Chef at The Bazaar in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California
.
Marcel attended the Culinary Institute of America
(CIA) in New York and achieved his Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts, as well as a Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management. At the CIA Marcel enrolled in the teaching assistant program where he served as the Sous Chef to Dwayne Lipuma at the school’s Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici. Since then, he has continued to pursue gastronomy
and at the age of 25 gained national notoriety in season two of Bravo’s reality series, Top Chef where he made it to the finals finishing “Runner-Up”.
He has worked around the planet with world-renowned chefs, including Joël Robuchon (named "Chef of the Century" by the Gault Millau) and Michael Mina (awarded “Best Chef of 2002” by the James Beard Foundation during the time of Marcel’s employment). Marcel has also spent time in Barcelona, Spain, where he took classes at El Taller with Chef Ferran Adrià of El Bulli restaurant, which was named the top restaurant in the world in 2007 by Restaurant magazine.
, a reality television
show that aired on the Syfy
cable network
. In each episode, Marcel and his new catering and event company is hired by a demanding client to produce an extraordinary celebration or event. Based on the client’s requests, Marcel dreams up a theme and cuisine for the event, which range from a fairytale graduation party and a Goth-rock fashion show to a birthday dinner held on a platform suspended in mid-air. He and his team of party planners and chefs tap the depths of their imagination and culinary talents to create everything from the immersive décor to a delicious menu that emphasizes Marcel’s unique brand of avant-garde cooking. Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen is a production of Mission Control Media with Executive Producers Michael Agbabian and Dwight Smith.
He returned to the Top Chef
series in Top Chef: All-Stars
. On the episode that aired on January 19, 2011, Marcel was eliminated from the competition after the Restaurant Wars challenge.
Top Chef (season 2)
Top Chef: Los Angeles is the second season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Los Angeles, California, and concluded in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. The season premiered on Bravo on October 18, 2006 and ended on January 31, 2007. Padma Lakshmi took over as host,...
of Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
, placing behind Ilan Hall
Ilan Hall
Ilan D. Hall is an American chef, best known as the winner of the second season of the Bravo television network's reality series Top Chef.Hall is a native of Great Neck, New York...
. In 2011, he received his own program on Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
titled Marcel's Quantum Kitchen
Marcel's Quantum Kitchen
Marcel's Quantum Kitchen is an American television program broadcast by the SyFy channel. The first episode premiered on March 22, 2011 at 10 pm EST. The series follows Marcel Vigneron of Top Chef fame in his new molecular gastronomy catering company, where each episode features the development of...
, in which he has opened a molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy is a subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in...
catering company.
Background and Top Chef
Vigneron is originally from Bainbridge, WashingtonBainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, and the name of the island in Puget Sound on which the city is situated...
, and currently resides in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area. He was promoted to prep cook when he was just sixteen, making him the youngest person in that kitchen. [Kitchen needs to be identified] At the time of his appearance on Top Chef, he was a Master Cook at Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of November 2008, he was a Executive Sous Chef at The Bazaar in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
.
Marcel attended the Culinary Institute of America
Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America is a non-profit culinary college located in Hyde Park USA, founded in 1946. The CIA also has branch campuses in St. Helena, California, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as a campus in Singapore. It is a not-for-profit academic institution of higher learning...
(CIA) in New York and achieved his Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts, as well as a Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management. At the CIA Marcel enrolled in the teaching assistant program where he served as the Sous Chef to Dwayne Lipuma at the school’s Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici. Since then, he has continued to pursue gastronomy
Gastronomy
Gastronomy is the art or science of food eating. Also, it can be defined as the study of food and culture, with a particular focus on gourmet cuisine...
and at the age of 25 gained national notoriety in season two of Bravo’s reality series, Top Chef where he made it to the finals finishing “Runner-Up”.
He has worked around the planet with world-renowned chefs, including Joël Robuchon (named "Chef of the Century" by the Gault Millau) and Michael Mina (awarded “Best Chef of 2002” by the James Beard Foundation during the time of Marcel’s employment). Marcel has also spent time in Barcelona, Spain, where he took classes at El Taller with Chef Ferran Adrià of El Bulli restaurant, which was named the top restaurant in the world in 2007 by Restaurant magazine.
Post Top Chef
In March 2010 it was announced that Vigneron would star in Marcel's Quantum KitchenMarcel's Quantum Kitchen
Marcel's Quantum Kitchen is an American television program broadcast by the SyFy channel. The first episode premiered on March 22, 2011 at 10 pm EST. The series follows Marcel Vigneron of Top Chef fame in his new molecular gastronomy catering company, where each episode features the development of...
, a reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show that aired on the Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
cable network
Cable network
A cable channel is a television channel available via cable television. Such channels are usually also available via satellite television, including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and BSkyB...
. In each episode, Marcel and his new catering and event company is hired by a demanding client to produce an extraordinary celebration or event. Based on the client’s requests, Marcel dreams up a theme and cuisine for the event, which range from a fairytale graduation party and a Goth-rock fashion show to a birthday dinner held on a platform suspended in mid-air. He and his team of party planners and chefs tap the depths of their imagination and culinary talents to create everything from the immersive décor to a delicious menu that emphasizes Marcel’s unique brand of avant-garde cooking. Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen is a production of Mission Control Media with Executive Producers Michael Agbabian and Dwight Smith.
He returned to the Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
series in Top Chef: All-Stars
Top Chef (season 8)
Top Chef: All-Stars is the eighth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in New York City, New York and concluded in The Bahamas. This season consists of chefs from the previous 7 seasons who did not win the Title of Top Chef. The season premiered on December 1,...
. On the episode that aired on January 19, 2011, Marcel was eliminated from the competition after the Restaurant Wars challenge.