LA's Hottest Chef Contest Commences Today!

Considering it's supposed to be winter in Los Angeles, damn it's been hot outside lately. But you know what's even hotter? The thirty contestants playing in this year's Third Annual Hottest Chef in LA Competition. Here's how this thing is going to work. The nominated chefs will fight for the coveted title through daily polls, and the champion will go on to face the winners from our sister sites in New York, Austin, Miami, Chicago, Portland, and San Francisco.

Our 30 chefs will battle it out in five preliminary rounds with five chef nominees in each, and you, dear readers, shall decide the winners. The chefs with the most votes from those rounds will compete in two rounds, followed by a final round with the top two winners. Number one goes on to vie for the title as America's Hottest Chef.

As is always the case, we'll be keeping a close watch on any suspicious behavior, and disqualifications are always an option. So let's make it a clean fight.