"Top Chef" talent search

Making the cut

Finding chefs with the right combination of talent and personality to compete on “Top Chef” can’t be an easy task. So with reps in town scouting talent for Season 7 of the Bravo show (open casting call 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday at Wells on Wells), we figured we’d lend a hand.

And who better to assist than our very own Chicago lineup of past “Top Chef” contestants and guest judges? We asked Stephanie Izard (pictured), Radhika Desai, Art Smith and others who they’d put on the show, given the chance, then challenged them to devise a hypothetical challenge to ensure their top picks would have what it takes to make Chicago proud.