Boston-based Tiffani Faison is an award-winning chef and restaurateur who rose to national fame during the first season of Bravo’s Top Chef. She has earned multiple James Beard Foundation nominations and has served as a judge on some of Food Network’s biggest competitions, from Chopped to Guy's Grocery Games. The LGBTQ+ chef has also competed on several Food Network shows, including Tournament of Champions, where she secured the win in Season 3.

Read on to learn about the chef’s culinary style, her appearances on your favorite shows and what she’s up to now.

History and Background

Born in Bremen, Germany, Tiffani is a self-proclaimed Army brat and moved back to the US when she was a kid. Her family moved around the country several times while growing up, but she finished high school in Santa Rosa, California. In school, Tiffani was a competitive cheerleader, and she started her culinary career at 14. Her first job in a restaurant was in a '50s-style diner as a “milkshake girl,” topping milkshakes with whipped cream.

After high school, Tiffani moved to Boston and started her professional journey as a bartender and then bused tables at Todd English’s restaurant Bonfire. She worked her way up to the kitchen line and kept going, eventually becoming sous chef at English’s Olives. Tiffani later moved to Las Vegas and worked as a chef at The Venetian, as well as chef de partie of the Daniel Boulud Brasserie inside the Wynn Las Vegas.

In 2006, she competed on Bravo’s first season of Top Chef, where she was runner-up. The loss only propelled Tiffani, and in 2010, she moved back to Boston and served as executive chef at Rocca Kitchen. The next year, she opened her first restaurant: Sweet Cheeks Q. The BBQ joint catapulted the chef to fame in Beantown, where she currently owns six eateries in a range of culinary styles and cuisines. In 2016, Boston Magazine named her Boston’s best chef, and Boston Business Journal featured her in the “Power 50 List.” Tiffani has also been nominated four times by the James Beard Foundation for Best Chef: Northeast.

A proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Tiffani, who identifies as a lesbian, is on The Boston Alliance of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth. She’s also on the board for Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and was appointed to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Restaurant Promotion Commission.

Tiffani's Food Network Shows

Tiffani has competed on and served as a correspondent on Tournament of Champions, as well as other top Food Network competitions. She has appeared in episodes of Chopped and Guy's Grocery Games as a judge. And she’s appeared in numerous Food Network specials, such as Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown's "Magic of the Holidays" and Best Bite in Town.

Chopped

Tiffani first appeared on Food Network in 2017 as a judge on Chopped. Since then, the chef has returned many times to judge some of the show’s most heated episodes. And she’s also competed on Chopped in special episodes, such as “Beat the Judge” and Chopped: Grudge Match.

Guy’s Grocery Games

Tiffani is also a recurring judge on Guy's Grocery Games. And, like Chopped, she’s also been a competitor. In 2024, Tiffani won GGG during the "All-Star Relay Rumble” in Season 37. Alongside teammates Maneet Chauhan and Mei Lin, the chefs secured their win by cooking a budget-friendly meal that ultimately earned them their trophies and $60,000 prize.

Tournament of Champions

Tiffani first competed on Tournament of Champions in 2021. The next year, she returned for Season 3 of TOC, and after beating Brooke Williamson in the finale (which featured an unforgiving randomizer that demanded rabbit and Japanese nattō), she won. Tiffani secured the title by cooking a rabbit leg with a nattō puree. She later returned to the world of TOC with Justin Warner as a host and real-time kitchen correspondent.

Beachside Brawl

The same year Tiffani faced Brooke in TOC, she also competed against the chef in Beachside Brawl's premiere season. The show pitted East Coast and West Coast chefs against each other to crown one culinary coastal winner. Both Tiffani and Brooke served as mentors for their respective teams. Hailing from Boston, she proudly competed for the East Coast, but ultimately, her team lost to the West Coast in the final showdown.

Tiffani’s Restaurants

Tiffani has opened nine of her own eateries in her career — and all in Boston. Three have closed over the years (Tiger Mama, Orfano and Tenderoni's Fenway), but she currently owns six restaurants under her company, Big Heart Hospitality.

Sweet Cheeks Q, Tiffani’s first restaurant, is the epitome of the chef’s range. Tiffani famously never sticks to a lane, and opening a BBQ joint specializing in Southern 'cue in the heart of New England was certainly unexpected. But it’s legit. Over the years, the establishment has earned multiple accolades, including “Boston's Best Barbecue” from Boston Magazine. Tiffani opened Fool’s Errand in 2018, and the “adult snack bar” is a romp through comfort foods with a high-end lens, from Fancy Chicken Nuggets to hot dogs made with wagyu beef and brioche buns.

In March 2022, Tiffani opened three different eateries at Boston’s High Street Place food hall: Bubble Bath, Tenderoni's and Dive Bar. The first spot is a playful champagne and wine bar that doesn’t take itself too seriously, as it pairs premier wines with less sophisticated foods: hot dogs and popcorn. Tenderoni’s is a love note to nostalgic pizzerias of the '70s and '80s, and Dive Bar is, well, a dive bar. It serves a wide range of seafood, from the Gulf Coast to coastal New England.

In 2025, Tiffani opened Bubble Bath Back Bay inside Boston’s Back Bay CitizenM Hotel. The Bubble Bath sequel takes the champagne and bites experience of the original to new heights — literally. The rooftop bar offers sweeping views of Beantown.

Fun Facts

• Birthday: August 20
• Zodiac Sign: Leo
• Favorite Music: Loves listening to Beyoncé while cooking
• Favorite Food: Okra