'Top Chef's' Tom Colicchio Turns Hero At D.C. Dinner Party

Access Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- "Top Chef's" Tom Colicchio went from celebrity judge to hero over the weekend, after saving the life of a fellow foodie.

According to the Food Association, Colicchio performed the Heimlich maneuver on Joan Nathan, a cookbook author at the Art.Food.Hope fundraising dinner in Washington, D.C.

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Nathan reportedly began choking on chicken when Colicchio was forced to spring into action and perform the move, which dislodged the food from her windpipe.

"I just happened to be nearby," the judge told a Food Association blogger of his safety move.

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Colicchio is currently starring in Season 5 of Bravo TV's "Top Chef," in New York City.

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