Bravo's Top Chef spinoff Top Chef Masters premieres Wednesday night and Fort Worth chef Tim Love is one of the first out of the gate.
"Just to be chosen on the show is spectacular," explained Love, the owner of Fort Worth's Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and The Love Shack. "You're dealing with accomplished chefs, and I don't like to speak for myself, but the rest of the guys are great."
"This show is much different than the regular Top Chef," Love told NBCDFW. "I wouldn't say it's food focused. You got some really well-accomplished chefs, and it's really more about how we interact with each other. They put us in these jacked-up situations -- but I can't say much other than that though."
The first six episodes feature four chefs each, and one of the four advances. The final six then compete for the title of Top Chef Master and $100,000 for his or her favorite charity.
Love thinks people will be surprised to see the show is more about camaraderie among the 24 chefs than competition. Episode one, titled The Dreaded Dessert, shows some of that playfulness.
"When you get to a certain point in my world, we want great guys to get better because it helps the food world. We're in it to win it, but we're also there to meet and learn new things. You can feel that warmth in the room with all four of us, for sure, and that was really cool."
In a room packed with some of the culinary world's biggest stars, Love has his favorite. "Hubert Keller. His resume is longer than Interstate 35 through Texas. He's got some age on me. He's knowledgeable and classically trained, much different than me."
Love also appreciates the opportunity that he can do something for his favorite charity, March of Dimes. His twin daughters Anna and Ella were born premature, so "anything I can do for March of Dimes, I do," he said.
The girls are now six and "are spectacular," said Love.
Top Chef Masters premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
Need more Love? We have more details on his upcoming SoSeven Love Shack in this story.
