We've been remiss in noting that "Top Chef: New York" cheftestant Melissa is a Marylander, in addition to Jill Snyder of Red Maple fame. (Read Baltimore Sun dining critic Elizabeth Large's review of Red Maple -- and her Dining @ Large blog post about Melissa.)

According to her bio on the Bravo page, Melissa grew up on a horse farm -- we think near Towson -- and "spent her youth surrounded by farm fresh produce and livestock. Her upbringing influenced her love of food and cooking from an early age." Like Jill, Melissa was trained at Baltimore International College.  

Melissa is a sous chef at a Boulder, Colo., restaurant now -- but there's no Elizabeth Large review for that one.

Also on Baltimore Sun blogs, TV critic David Zurawik reports that Wednesday's "Top Chef" had its highest ratings for a premiere.

There's good news for the page-views for bravotv.com, as well -- and I can claim responsibility for at least 50 of those.