I don’t like how the only Black female contestant on ‘Top Chef’ is being portrayed

Lana Lagomarsini in her Top Chef Season 22 press portrait. Photo: Marcus Nilsson/Bravo

On the debut episode of Bravo’s “Top Chef” this season in Toronto, Lana Lagomarsini, a private chef and owner of Lana Cooks from Harlem, proclaimed in her first video appearance, “I’ve yet to see a Black woman win this competition. I would like to be that Black woman.”

That was in the first few minutes of that episode, and we haven’t heard much from her since. I thought it was totally bizarre that producers would use that clip, and then proceed to not tell us anything about her from there. We’re three episodes in, by the way.

That was a pretty provocative statement from Lagomarsini, so of course I wanted to know who she is. It turns out that the Bronx native graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, plus worked at Gramercy Tavern and in Michelin-starred kitchens, including Restaurant Daniel and Momofuku Ko.

She also spent a month apprenticing under renowned Argentinian chef Francis Mallmann learning the art of open-fire cooking on his island in Patagonia, was inducted into the prestigious Dames d’ Escoffier International, and won a culinarian award from the Black Women in Food Awards by Dine Diaspora.

So, she’s achieved some great things, but you won’t hear about them on “Top Chef.” Well, at least, not yet.

In January, Lagomarsini wrote on Instagram about her “Top Chef” achievement: “This was the realization of years of hard work and a deep passion for cooking and telling my story. Being here, with this amazing group of chefs, is a dream come true.”

I really hope that she gets more airtime because while Carla Hall became a household name due to her time on the series, previous Black female contestants like Tonya Holland have discussed their not-so-positive experiences on the show.

Lagomarsini is competing against 14 other chefs for the chance to win $250,000 in cash and prizes—the largest one yet in the series history—plus for the first time ever, an opportunity to headline an exclusive dinner at the historic James Beard House in New York.

I will keep watching to see how this unfolds.