Chicago-based chef Stephanie Izard won Top Chef Wednesday night, bringing the fourth season of the popular Bravo reality show, which was set in Chicago this go-round, to a fitting finale. Formerly the chef/owner of well-received (and now shuttered) neighborhood spot Scylla, Izard said during the final episode that "this is the biggest thing that's happened in my life." The first woman to win Top Chef, she beat out odds-on favorite Richard Blais of Atlanta and Lisa Fernandes of New York to take the title.
During the show's time here, several local companies got their 15 minutes of national fame: Hall's Rental and the Meetinghouse Companies received airtime during challenges, and various Chicago restaurants, event spaces, and chefs (Paul Kahan of Blackbird, Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, and Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand of Tramonto's Steak & Seafood among them) got exposure.
In other Top Chef news, Bravo announced on Wednesday that the network has plans to create a kid-centric spin-off of the show called Top Chef Junior.
During the show's time here, several local companies got their 15 minutes of national fame: Hall's Rental and the Meetinghouse Companies received airtime during challenges, and various Chicago restaurants, event spaces, and chefs (Paul Kahan of Blackbird, Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, and Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand of Tramonto's Steak & Seafood among them) got exposure.
In other Top Chef news, Bravo announced on Wednesday that the network has plans to create a kid-centric spin-off of the show called Top Chef Junior.