Eater's 5th Annual Hottest Chef Competition Starts Now

It's currently 56 degrees in Los Angeles, but it's about to heat up even more, big time. Why? In honor of Valentine's Day, we're launching Eater's 5th Annual Hottest Chef in LA Competition. Unlike previous years, when the voting was spread out over the course of a week, this year the competition will take place over one, action-packed day. 18 reader-nominated chefs will battle it out for the coveted title through hourly polls. This afternoon, one lucky nominee will be crowned the Hottest Chef in Los Angeles.

Each poll will run for 60 minutes. The chefs that get the most votes from each round will go on to the semifinals, and the top two from that heat will duke it out for the title of Hottest Chef. That lucky winner will then battle it out with the hot chefs from all of the other Eater cities for the title of Hottest Chef in America. So, national glory is at stake here, people. Make your votes count.

There will be a lot of hot chef action on Eater today. If that's not your thing, then perhaps you might enjoy reading about last-minute Valentine's Day foodie gift ideas and aphrodisiac dishes on one of the many other fine dining blogs out there. But if you like looking at hotties that can cook you some food, this promises to be a lot of fun.