Meet the Cast of 'Top Chef' Season 5 Jamie Lauren is one of the contestants of the fifth season of the Bravo reality show Top Chef. The 30-year-old chef was born in New York City, where she eventually took up training at the Culinary Institute of America. She currently resides in San Francisco, where she keeps charge as the executive chef of Absinthe Brasserie and Bar. Her culinary tastes are arguably a hodge-podge; she is classically trained in French cuisine, but admits to loving Indian food and cooking with onions.