Común Kitchen & Tavern's Chad White Is Probably On Top Chef

After our last download of all the intel we've received about Top Chef's time filming in San Diego, the tipline was flooded with speculation about the rumor that a local chef will be a contestant on season 13 of the Bravo show, which is scheduled to start airing this fall.

Though our readers posited on a few different chef contenders, the name most overwhelmingly discussed has been Chad White, who opened the Baja-inspired Común Kitchen & Tavern in the East Village last summer and was tapped as Eater's 2014 Chef of the Year. The chef and his rep would not confirm his participation, but several industry sources say it is indeed so. A big clue: White recently posted a photo on Instagram that mentioned a two-month absence from his J Street kitchen.

The Eater tipline has more tidbits for Top Chef fans, including reports of seeing contestants race through Whole Foods Market Hillcrest on a shopping expedition and confirmation that craft beer will factor significantly into the main cooking competition of the San Diego-centric episode. Have more to whisper in our ear? Send it our way, anonymously.