Marcel Vigneron facts for kids
| Born | Bainbridge Island, Washington |
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| Cooking style | Modern Californian |
| Education | Culinary Institute of America |
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Current restaurant(s)
Joël Robuchon (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Wolf (Los Angeles, California) |
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Television show(s)
Top Chef on Bravo
Marcel's Quantum Kitchen on SyFy |
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Marcel Vigneron is a famous American chef. He won the TV show Last Chef Standing. He was also the runner-up on Top Chef in 2006-2007. Since then, he has been on many other TV shows. Today, he is the main chef at The Aster Hotel and Lemon Grove Restaurant.
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Marcel's Early Life and Training
Marcel Vigneron grew up on Bainbridge Island, Washington. He loved cooking from a young age.
He went to a special cooking school called the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. There, he earned a degree in Culinary Arts. While at the CIA, Marcel met another chef named Spike Mendelsohn. They became good friends. They even played a lot of frisbee together! Later, they would compete on The Next Iron Chef TV show. Marcel also worked as a helper chef at the school's Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici.
Becoming a Top Chef Star
Marcel Vigneron became well-known when he appeared on the TV show Top Chef. This was the second season of the show, filmed in 2006. At that time, he was a Master Cook at a fancy restaurant called Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas.
On Top Chef, Marcel was famous for his unique cooking style. He used something called molecular gastronomy. This is a way of cooking that uses science to change how food looks and feels. He was especially known for making foams out of different foods.
Marcel made it all the way to the finals of Top Chef. He finished as the runner-up, just behind the winner, Ilan Hall.
After Top Chef: New Shows and Restaurants
After Top Chef, Marcel Vigneron continued to cook and appear on TV. In 2008, he worked as a main helper chef at The Bazaar in Beverly Hills, California.
In 2010, Marcel got his own TV show called Marcel's Quantum Kitchen. It aired on the Syfy TV channel. On the show, Marcel and his team planned amazing parties and events for clients. He would create special themes and dishes for each event. The show ran for six episodes.
Marcel also returned to the Top Chef series for Top Chef: All-Stars. He competed against other famous chefs from past seasons. In 2024, Marcel won the first season of another cooking show called 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing.
Today, Chef Marcel is the main chef at the Lemon Grove restaurant. This restaurant is located on the rooftop of The Aster Hotel in Hollywood, California.
Marcel's Life in Los Angeles
Marcel Vigneron lives in the Los Angeles area. He used to own a restaurant called "Wolf" on Melrose Avenue. He also opened another restaurant called Beefsteak in 2016. However, he closed both restaurants in 2019 to focus on catering for events.
Marcel married Lauren Rae Levy on November 9, 2019. Their wedding took place in Santa Susana, California.
