Meet the Cast of 'Top Chef' Season 5

Eugene “Gene” Villiatora is one of the contestants of the fifth season of the Bravo reality show Top Chef. Unlike most of this season’s competitors, the 33-year-old Whitmore Village, Hawaii native’s culinary knowledge is largely self-taught. He began his career when he began working as a dishwasher in Las Vegas, and went on to cultivate his “think outside the box” philosophy. Aside from developing menus for corporations, he is slated to become the executive chef of a new restaurant in a major Las Vegas hotel.