It’s confirmed! As reported on Foodie Buddha and here on Table Talk yesterday and Monday, three Atlanta chefs will appear on Season 6 of Bravo’s hit foodie fave, Top Chef.

Hector Santiago (pictured), chef-owner of Pura Vida in Poncey/Hi, is one of my favorite Atlanta chefs, offering the city a taste of some of its only real tapas while giving a nod to molecular gastronomy at the same time. Foam must be this chef’s middle name, and he can fry up a mean, beautiful mess of calabaza squash rings (I went into withdrawal when he took them off the menu a few years back). Love is deep: I chose Pura Vida for the Fall Dining Guide’s very first restaurant of the year, back in 2005. Of the three chefs from Atlanta, he’s got the most experience and the chops to pull this off.

Kevin Gillespie filled big chef’s clogs when Woodfire Grill’s chef and founder, Michael Tuohy, left for California last year. Kevin isn’t yet 30, and is clearly one of the smartest, most dedicated and talented chefs we have. Having a conversation with this guy is like talking to a chef, farmer, scientist, artist and craftsman all in one. His cooking is straightforward and stays with sustainability, but he’s got a knack for creating pretty things that taste good. I’d love to see a chef this young and talented — and dedicated — make it to the “show,” — the finals.

My experience with Eno has been iffy. The Midtown restaurant has changed chefs over the last five years more often than Paris Hilton changes her handbags. I rereviewed the restaurant back in 2005 when the kitchen was helmed by Milton Ferris. I’ve been back several times over the course of the last two years, but never felt the changes in chefs were worth a completely new review. I love the wine program, and always have. Chef Eli Kirshstein worked with former Top Chef-fer Richard Blais, so he’s got as much a shot at the winner’s circle as anyone. All of which is to say that I’m excited for Kirshtein, but am not very famiiar with his style. So watching him will be of interest.

What do you think? Which of these chefs would you choose as Top Chef?

Want more? John Kessler serves it up, and we’ve got our own take on Atlanta’s grip on reality TV.