Catching Up With The Contestants Of 'Top Chef Masters,' Season 4

In preparation for the premiere of Top Chef Masters season four this week, Bravo hosted an early screening and party at the Boulevard Pool located on the fourth floor of the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The impressive lineup of esteemed chef contestants was on hand to dish about their experiences on the show.

New York City celebrity chef Kerry Heffernan divulged that although it was his best friend who ultimately convinced him to go on the show, his reason for accepting the challenge was driven by the creative force of competing against himself. He admits that for the first 10 days or so of filming he frequently had dreams about the challenges and learned that "It was easy to get lost in the pressure of watching others."

Former personal chef for Oprah, restaurateur, and philanthropist Art Smith is proud to admit that he's been on nearly every cooking competition show except Chopped (which he would love to compete on, as well). He considered himself to be the comedian of the show on Top Chef Masters, claiming "no funny, no honey!" If he could dream up a challenge to add to this season in Las Vegas, it would include a "relay between casinos, where contestants would cook at each hotel and then run between them... though the traffic might be an issue."

Cheftestant Patricia Yeo is known for her involvement with the ultra-trendy restaurant scene in Cambridge, outside of Boston. She greatly enjoyed competing on this season of Top Chef Masters and loved having the opportunity to cook alongside many of her peers, explaining, "It's so nice to meet people who are like you... most of the time I get to work with people who look up to me, I never really get to work with my peers." One lesson she took away from the experience was learning how to cook peas without the skin bursting, from fellow contestant Chris Cosentino. Her dream challenge is what she calls "Hook and Cook," where contestants would have to catch their own fish and then cook with it.

Former contestant on Top Chef Masters and current judge on Top Chef, Hugh Acheson, plots that the next challenge he would give would include eggs, bacon, bread, and a microwave. Sounds intriguing!

Check back for more coverage of Top Chef Masters as the season progresses, and in the meantime, check out The Daily Meal interviewing judge James Oseland about the season.