Gail Simmons

Irrepressible, vivacious and effervescently forthright, Gail Simmons vaulted from behind the scenes of swank foodie culture and into the limelight in 2006 on Bravo's gourmet-inclined, Emmy-winning reality show, "Top Chef" (2006- ). A native of Canada, Simmons followed a gourmand family pedigree to culinary school in New York City and went on to work for some of the city's fanciest eateries. Establishing a niche as an event planner, she went to work for the epicurean Bible, Food and Wine magazine, which proffered her as its public face when Bravo proposed a partnership for its "Top Chef" cooking competition show. Sitting on the show's judging panel, Simmons quickly became the "mean one," per the template of panel-based competitive reality programming, unafraid to proverbially "tell it like it is." She translated so well on to television that in 2010, Bravo put her front and center as host of "Top Chef" spin-off, "Top Chef: Just Desserts" (2010-11), and AOL made her one of the primo personalities on its KitchenDaily.com website. An on-air personality, chef and now online cooking guru, Simmons forged a public franchise that was equal parts glamour, smarts, refreshing candor and basic kitchen common sense.