Arts Culinary Institute

Arts Culinary Institute

Arts Culinary Institute

Perhaps the most controversial contestant of Top Chef history, Marcel Vigneron has both fame and notoriety - possessing fans and foes in large numbers. Adorable, quirky and articulate beyond his years, Vigneron demonstrates a childlike fascination and inquisitive nature with all things culinary. Marcel's quick-witted tongue-in-cheek humor has been lost on those critics who mistake his confidence for arrogance and greatly underestimate his knowledge and understanding of food science. Many will remember him for 'the hair clipper incident' on Top Chef Season 2. At just 25 years old, he made it to the finale and was that Top Chef season's runner-up.

Vigneron's Impressive Pedigree

Having just observed his "Dirty Thirty" on May 3rd of 2010, Marcel has quite a resume under his belt. He attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York, earning an Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management. He studied in Barcelona, Spain under famed Chef Ferran Adrià of El Bulli restaurant, which Restaurant Magazine in 2007 named the top restaurant in the world.