top boss is going global!
Bravo’s Emmy-winning reality series heads to London for its 20th season, and PEOPLE and Food & Wine have a joint exclusive look at the trailer.
For the first time ever the show will spotlight 16 all-star chefs picked from the original US series and its 29 international versions (France, Canada, the Middle East, and Brazil, to name a few). To heat up the competition even more, the cast is made up of only previous winners and finalists.
The season — the first to be shot entirely overseas — will premiere on March 9.
Host Padma Lakshmi is back, along with head judge Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. Renowned culinary experts will also take the judges’ table, including esteemed judges from the top boss franchises around the globe.
“The competition just got really, really serious,” Colicchio says at the start of the clip above.
From battling it out in London pubs to serving dishes outside the real-life Downton Abbey — Highclere Castle — the cheftestants are faced with tons of themed challenges.
There’s also a series first. After Lakshmi was wowed by one contestant’s delicious risotto — a notoriously difficult dish to make well on the show — she joked “the spell has been broken.”
From tears to accidental falls in the kitchen, the preview proves that the stakes are high when it comes to vying for the title of top boss World All Star.
Meet the 16 esteemed bosses who will face off this season:
Samuel Albertwinners, Top Chef FranceSeason 10
For the executive chef and owner of Les Petits Prés in Angers, France, cooking is deeply personal. The order of the Belgian Crown recipient runs his restaurant in his family’s home, out of the kitchen where he first put his skills to the test (and took his first steps!).
Luciana Berry, winner Top Chef BrazilSeason 2
Owner of private catering company, Catering on the Hill, the Brazil-native now lives in London. There, she shares her love of Brazilian cuisine as an Ambassador of Brazilian cuisine in Europe.
Sara Bradley, finalist, Top Chef KentuckySeason 16
A Kentucky-native, Bradley owns Freight House, a restaurant and bourbon bar in her hometown of Paducah. Through cooking, she celebrates her father’s Appalachian background and her mother’s Jewish heritage.
Dawn Burrell, finalist, Top Boss PortlandSeason 18
Not only is Burrell a top boss finalist, but she’s also a former Olympian. After competing on USA’s Track & Field team in the 2000 Summer Olympics, she fell in love with food through her travels.
Ali Ghzawi, Winner, Top Chef Middle East & North AfricaSeason 3: Lebanon
As chef and owner of Alee in Jordan, Ghzawi is known for turning simple ingredients into gourmet dishes.
Tom Goetter, finalist, Top Boss GermanySeason 1
After working in an array of kitchens, including Michelin-starred restaurants, Goetter is now the director of food and beverage for all Scenic Ocean Vessels.
Nicole Gomes, winner Top Chef CanadaSeason 5: All Stars
The chef, co-founder and owner at Cluck ‘N’ Cleaver in Calgary, Canada, Gomes keeps her professional work in the family, running the chicken joint alongside her sister. she made top boss history as the first woman to be crowned Top Chef Canada champion.
Victoire Gouloubi, finalist, Top Chef ItalySeason 2
Hailing from the Republic of the Congo, Gouloubi initially moved to Italy to study law — until she discovered her love of cooking. As a private chef who has worked alongside Michelin-starred chefs, Gouloubi is also the creator and host of Sky TV’s Il Tocco di Victoire other LaMia Africa.
Charbel Hayek, winner Top Chef Middle East & North AfricaSeason 5: Saudi Arabia
Hayek first found his passion for the culinary arts while growing up in Beirut, Lebanon. Now a private chef in Lake Worth, Florida, he describes his creations as “new American” with French and Lebanese influence.
Buddha Lo, Winner, Top Boss HoustonSeason 19
Lo — the most recent winner of top boss — is the executive chef of Huso at Marky’s Caviar in New York City. The Australian native’s affinity for being in the kitchen comes from his parents: he cooked in their restaurant starting when he was 12. “I’m hoping to get three Michelin stars one day,” he told PEOPLE in September. “Everything starts with a goal, right?”
Dale MacKay Winner Top Chef CanadaSeason 1
MacKay has worked in the kitchens of Gordon Ramsay and Daniel Boulud, and now runs five of his own eateries under the Grassroots Restaurant Group.
May Phattanant Thongthong, Finalist, Top Chef ThailandSeason 1
Thongthong is the executive chef and co-partner of MAZE Dining. Named after her non-linear career path, the spot was voted one of the top 20 Bangkok restaurants by W magazines in 2020 and 2021.
Begoña Rodrigo, Winner, Top Chef SpainSeason 1
Rodrigo is the executive chef and owner of La Salita, a restaurant with one Michelin star in Valencia, Spain.
Gabriel Rodriguez, winner Top Chef MexicoSeason 2
Now a private chef in Madrid, Rodriguez truly worked his way to the top of the culinary field — first starting as a dishwasher at the esteemed Pujol restaurant in Mexico City.
Amar Santana, finalist, Top Chef CaliforniaSeason 13
After immigrating to the US from in the Dominican Republic, Santana started his career in food at age 16. He is now the executive chef and owner at the Broadway By Amar Santana restaurants in California.
Sylwia Stachyra, Winner, Top Chef PolandSeason 7
Born and raised in Poland, the seasoned chef trained in Ramsay’s Savoy Grill before later going on to win Top Chef Poland. She now helms her own cooking school and consultancy called CookShe.
top boss World All Stars premieres on Bravo on March 9 at 9 pm ET/PT.