Top Chef Cooks Up New York, Miami Events

To cook-up some buzz around the premiere of Top Chef 3 Miami (Wednesday, June 13 at 10:00 â€" 11:15 p.m. ET/PT), Bravo has partnered with NYC & Company to kick off NYC Restaurant Week.

The event will featurea live cook-off event on Tuesday, June 12, between Season 2 native New Yorkers, winner Ilan Hall (pictured) and fan favorite Sam Talbot, with series host Padma Lakshmi as emcee and chef Tom Colicchio as lead judge.

Bravo also has joined forces with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau for Top Chef' Presents a Taste of Miami Spice yesterday in Miami Beach - home base to the series' third season - a free preview of Miami's finest restaurants. Both New York City and Miami Beach will present official Top Chef Day proclamations to take effect on June 13.

"I can't think of a better way to celebrate the best restaurants in both New York City and Miami Beach than with the best of our Top Chefs," said Jason Klarman, EVP Marketing & Digital, Bravo.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.