Montana Chef Competing on Top Chef

When the 23rd season of Top Chef starts in March 2026, it will make its way to the Carolinas, stacked with big cities, big kitchens, and serious cooking reputations.

And Hamilton, Montana, is showing up to compete.

The chef and co-owner of Ember, Brandon Dearden, is officially on the cast. Not in a “TV fame” way. In a “Montana just walked onto a national stage that usually ignores places like us” kind of way. Montana is not a state designed for easy food careers. No culinary conveyor belt. No shortcut systems.

Montana Made

What we have is land. Cold water. Long winters. Short seasons. Ranching culture. Farmers’ markets. Fire pits. And people who understand how to make something real out of what’s actually available. Beef. Venison. Elk. Trout. Huckleberries. Local grain. Wild food. Seasonal food. Food that begins outside, not in a supply chain catalogue.

That builds a different kind of cook. Just skilled, grounded and resourceful. And that comes across in the food coming out of Ember.

Why This One Feels Different

Dearden isn’t claiming Montana for the sake of a TV storyline. He’s cooking, building, and sourcing here. This is a Montana chef walking into a room full of heavy hitters and bringing Bitterroot Valley values with him.

This is Hamilton on the map. Western Montana is in the conversation. Missoula and the Bitterroot watching one of our own represent how food actually works here. Just real Montana cooking, scaled for a national stage. Because Montana doesn’t get handed seats at these tables. We build them. The season may be set in the Carolinas. But Montana just pulled up a chair.

And we’ll be watching. Season premiere March 9th, 2026, on Bravo.