Kevin Sbraga

WASHINGTON - Philadelphia's capital culinary cred was on display here last week, when seven area chefs were named to the American Chef Corps, a new State Department program engaging the country's top toques to foster diplomacy among nations. Chef Joe Cicala of Le Virtú, who was thrilled to be tapped along with some of his "culinary heroes," believes this is an opportunity for him to serve his country with what he does best. Chef Jean-Marie Lacroix, the old-guard French master at the restaurant that still bears his name after his departure, considers it a chance to show the world how far American cuisine has evolved.

Nine months after winning the seventh season of Bravo's Top Chef , Kevin Sbraga has signed a lease for his own restaurant. The upscale casual Sbraga is pegged for this fall at 440 S. Broad St., in the Symphony House space at the corner of Broad and Pine Streets that last housed Chew Man Chu. "I call it a personal rendition of American food," says Sbraga, who lives in the Willingboro house in which he grew up. "I learned during ...

On Saturday, Top Chef winner Kevin Sbraga opens the doors to his Broad Street eatery, Sbraga (440 S. Broad St., 215-735-1913, sbraga.com). Dining tables are reserved for a $45, four-course, prix-fixe-only dinner experience, where guests choose their dishes, such as foie gras soup, or meatloaf with royal trumpet mushrooms. Order a la carte at the bar or chef's counter. Desserts come from his pastry chef wife, Jesmary.   Also opened The Avenue of the Arts buzz continues south, where Tashan (777 S. Broad St., 267-687-2170, mytashan.com)

BRAVO CAMERAS have been following former "Top Chef" contestant and fan favorite Jennifer Carroll around town. Carroll, a Daily News "Sexy Single," was recently captured having a girls'-night dinner at Sbraga (Broad & Pine), which "Top Chef" winner Kevin Sbraga opened last year. We're told the Bravo crew is shooting a new series that follows a handful of "Top Chef" contestants as they try to open restaurants, which Carroll, who spent several years at 10 Arts by Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton, is now working on. She's scouting locations for a spot called Concrete Blonde, which she has described as a play on her hard-edged personality and blond hair and also a tribute to the alternative-rock band by the same name.

BANANA bread. Gumbo. Hot browns. Shellfish. Rice. Citrus. No, this isn't a rundown of a culinarily gifted fraternity's refrigerator contents. It's just a few of the ingredients and dishes that have inspired intra-staff cooking duels at Sbraga, where chef-sanctioned battles keep the minds as sharp as the knives. Kevin Sbraga, who opened at Broad and Pine in late 2011, knows about creating on the fly. He won season seven of Bravo's "Top Chef" by adapting to every bizarre challenge thrown his way, from developing a plate inspired by the phrase "bring home the bacon" to crafting a dish that could be eaten by astronauts in zero gravity (seriously)

NBC 10'S "10! SHOW" comes to an end Friday after more than 10 years. Starting Monday, the 11 a.m. news will run until noon, wiping out the 11:30-to-noon show, station general manager Eric Lerner told his staff Wednesday. He cited the station's commitment to strengthening its newscasts for the switch. Four off-air "10! Show" staffers could lose their jobs, although they are being encouraged to apply for open jobs at the station, says an NBC10 spokeswoman. "The 10! Show" started with hosts Steve Levy and Sharon Reed . In 2004, meteorologist Bill Henley and musician Lauren Hart began broadcasting it live from the Loews Hotel in Center City.

Here is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat:   Reader: Gut feeling, how do you think Tryst will be received? C.L. : I've been out of town since Tryst opened as a replacement for Le Bar Lyonnais below Le Bec, so obviously, I haven't had a chance yet to visit. I think it's a good idea to give Le Bec a fresh draw - even downstairs - and chef Nicholas Elmi certainly has the talent worth highlighting. Lyonnais was a great spot for well-cooked bistro classics (quenelles, steak frites, etc.)

SHANE VICTORINO was in Waynesville, Mo., yesterday, shooting an episode of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," along with Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz and Mets infielder Daniel Murphy . The Phillies outfielder tweeted yesterday about how excited he was to work with show host Ty Pennington . (The show, we must add, regularly makes Daily News Tattle columnist Howard Gensler cry.) Singer Jewel was also involved in yesterday's shoot at Waynesville High School.

As dawn breaks over the city, the meat men pull up at restaurant back doors, dropping off steaks, ground beef, and other cuts. More of these trucks now bear a 201 or 646 area code on their doors. Pat LaFrieda and DeBragga & Spitler - New York-rooted butchers who enjoy cult followings among chefs who rave about their dry-aging - have recently begun nibbling at the wholesale-beef business in the region. Their appearance in Philadelphia has everything to do with the price of real estate in Lower Manhattan.

Willingboro's Kevin Sbraga - who's cooked at some of the hottest restaurants in the region - was named winner of the seventh season of the Bravo series Top Chef . Sbraga, 31, watched the taped final episode Wednesday at the North Philadelphia restaurant Osteria among a private party including his wife, Jesmary, and two children. His prizes are $125,000, a spread in Food & Wine magazine, and a showcase at the magazine's annual event in Aspen, Colo. The season, set in Washington, D.C., moved to Singapore for the last two episodes.