Hottest Chef in NY: First Round Eliminations Begin Now

To start December off with a bang, we introduce the Second Annual Hottest Chef in New York competition, as decided by Eater readers far and wide. How this is going to work: A special panel of experts have ranked all reader-nominated chefs and in standard sporting fashion, the top seeds will face off against the bottom until we have a final list of contenders. In this competition, number one will compete against 30-32, two against 27-29, and so on until we have our final eight plus one wide wild card. As was the case last year, we'll be keeping a close watch on any suspicious behavior, and disqualifications are always an option. So let's make it a clean fight. A change this year: there are some ladies in the mix (stay tuned for Emma Hearst's bout tomorrow).

Today, the defending champion Alain Allegretti goes up against Travertine's Manuel Trevino, Daniel's Eddy Leroux, and Marlow & Sons' Sean Rembold. May the hottest chef win.