Sheldon Simeon Has Delicious Plans Ahead for His New Hawaiian Restaurant

This season of Top Chef has been quite the whirlwind for cheftestant Sheldon Simeon. He recovered from an early back injury that nearly took him out of the competition and went on to consistently wow the judges, winning tough Quickfires and Elimination Challenges (including the coveted prize of cooking at the James Beard Foundation). Tom Colicchio even declared that Sheldon would one day take his place among "some of America's greatest chefs."

So it's no surprise that Sheldon has a lot on his plate right now. In a recent interview, the Tin Roof owner revealed that he's opening up a new restaurant in Hawaii at the end of the year. The 80-seat spot will serve small plates and have a "great bar program, and just delicious food," Sheldon explained.

He's also planning to expand his current Tin Roof restaurant, a casual mom-and-pop joint that serves bowls of his signature Hawaiian-Filipino comfort food, to other locations in Hawaii…and potentially elsewhere? "I'm letting that out of the bag," he admitted, though he remained mum on possible spots on the mainland.

And if you're worried about experiencing Sheldon withdrawal once Top Chef ends, never fear—you can catch him as the host of Eater's online video show called "Cooking in America." On the show, Sheldon travels around Hawaii exploring its different cuisines and cultures.

Clearly, Sheldon has a bright future ahead of him. We figure Tom knows what he's talking about.