Couple's Therapy; Summer Winter's chefs go head to head on Top Chef Masters

Mark Gaier, (left) and Clark Fraiser.
If you've ever been to Summer Winter Restaurant in Burlington, MA, and caught glimpses of chef-owners Mark Gaier and Clark Fraiser flitting between tables, you'll understand why we're so pumped about their appearances on this season of Top Chef Masters. The duo's attention to fresh and seasonal ingredients (check the greenhouse out back) pays off, and so does their playfully crafted menu. Doesn't hurt that they're two of the most delightfully lovely people in the business, which is probably why it's a good thing we're not judging. One earnestly beaming smile from either of them and we're mush. 

As a couple (27 years and counting), one might guess the heat of the competition would get a little awkward, but by all accounts Gaier and Frasier kept each other's backs around set. As Frasier told Zagat's Kathleen Squires at the Top Chef Masters premiere party, "[Competing against each other] was very odd. But we helped each other. Sometimes we'd sneak off into corners and say to each other, 'you should do this. You should do that."

Gaier adds that his biggest sin during his time in Sin City was only "having a few drinks, because I don't drink! But I didn't do any gambling or whoring around. I was a good boy." 

Freakin' adorable. Tune in to Bravo see how the blonder-than-blonde duo (plus Patricia Yeo of Moksa and OM!) toughs it out on episode two of TCM, or catch a ride to Burlington tomorrow and root for them in person while you sample some of the dishes from the premiere. 6pm sharp!