One of the culinary world's most celebrated figures, Tom Colicchio returns to Bravo once again as lead judge for the twelfth season of the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning culinary series Top Chef. Colicchio is also the host, judge, and serves as an executive producer on Bravo’s newest culinary competition series Best New Restaurant.Born in New Jersey, Colicchio taught himself to cook with the help of Jacques Pépin's illustrated manuals on French cooking, La Technique and La Méthode, and made his kitchen debut at 17. Colicchio then cooked at prominent New York restaurants before opening Gramercy Tavern with Danny Meyer in 1994. There, Colicchio's cooking won consistent recognition, garnering three stars from The New York Times and earning him The James Beard Foundation's 2000 Best Chef-New York Award.In 2001, Colicchio opened Craft. Soon after, The New York Times awarded Craft with three stars, deeming the restaurant "a vision of food heaven." Craft was awarded The James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant in 2002. That same year, he received The Bon Appétit American Food and Entertaining Award for Chef of the Year. The New York Times revisited Craft in September 2011, upholding its three stars and stating that the restaurant is "as magical and delicious as it was when it opened."With Craft and its casual sibling, Craftbar, established in NYC, Colicchio set out to expand his brand of cooking. He has since opened Craftsteak in Las Vegas (2002), Craft and Craftbar in LA (2007; 2009), Colicchio & Sons as well as Riverpark in NYC (2010), Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton (2012), and Heritage Steak in Las Vegas (2013). 'wichcraft opened in 2003 and now has 16 New York City locations, as well as locations in Las Vegas and San Francisco.In May 2010, Colicchio was awarded The James Beard Foundation's coveted "Outstanding Chef" award, the culmination of his 30 years of hard work in the restaurant industry.