Ep 1: Cook Your Aspen Off

If you thought the pressure let up after leaving the Top Chef kitchen, think again. In the premiere episode of Life After Top Chef, viewers catch a glimpse into the personal and professional lives of memorable former cheftestants -- 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 cheftestants reunite at the Aspen Food & Wine Festival to cook for one of the toughest crowds in the culinary universe. Can they live up to their Top Chef reputations, or will they crash and burn?