Chef Karine Ceyhan of Altadena, California is set to be the first Armenian on Bravo’s Top Chef Amateurs, a new show where home cooks are thrown into the Top Chef kitchen alongside All-Star Alumni, Zartonk Media reports.

The new Bravo series Top Chef Amateurs, which premiered with two back-to-back episodes on Thursday, July 1 at 9/8c, immediately following the Season 18 finale of Bravo’s Top Chef in Portland.

Karine is a surgical sales consultant by day, a mom of two and an avid home cook by night and weekends. She took up the opportunity of joining the Top Chef cast at the height of the pandemic. Ceyhan said: “Follow your dreams and passions! It’s never too late.”

“I have always found a fascination with my rich Armenian culture and food. It has always been a gateway for me to connect with and get to know my late father Sahnur Ceyhan who loved cooking warm traditional meals and sharing it with his loved ones. He was born in ancient Western Armenia (Sivas-Zara) but spent his last years in Marseille, France. I’m excited to use this platform introduce the ancient Armenian culture to the world while adding in my unique French twist. Just like my father, I cannot wait to share my meals with the world. I believe that life without passion is no life at all. So live and savor …. That’s the ultimate love,” Karine Ceyhan told Zartonk Media.

Hosted by longtime Top Chef judge Gail Simmons, Top Chef Amateurs will feature home cooks from all walks of life — from formerly working in the CIA to currently serving lunch in the school cafeteria. In each 30-minute episode, two amateur chefs will go head-to-head to put their culinary skills to the test in fan-favorite challenges previously seen on Top Chef, such as creating a dish inspired by one of the seven deadly sins, the mise-en-place race, and the blind taste test.