Mia Gaines-Alt is a 32-year old restaurant owner of Feed the People. She comes from Oakdale, California. This cowgirl enjoys singing country music at her local cowboy bar and takes delight in making comfort food. She has a straight forward personality and refuses to deal with ignorant people. She became a contestant on the reality cooking contest Top Chef, Season 2. She specialized in barbeque and home-style cooking. Mia was the 8th chef eliminated from the show. On episode 8, she voluntarily quit to save Elia from elimination.