Certainly, as
Top Chef's first woman winner, a lot is on the shoulders of
Stephanie Izard. Bravo's reality search for, well, the top chef, is now on its fourth season and some say it is high time for a woman to emerge winner. After all, purists declare the kitchen as the female's exclusive province, right?
Now Izard has to deal with some nice and not-so-nice things that come with being the newest
Top Chef, such as the new-found fame and the $100,000. On the other hand, there are those who claim that she only won because the producers wanted a woman to win to keep the show fresh. On this, the 31-year-old Connecticut-native had some decisive rejoinder, according to an
Entertainment Weekly interview.
“I never think of myself as a woman chef. I'm just a good chef. I don't see why we have to be talked about as male or female.”
Moreover, Izard is positive that she deserved the title. Perhaps adding credence to this claim is winning an additional 10 grand for being voted the fans' favorite contestant.
“We were having the reunion show, and [show judge] Tom [Colicchio] was talking about how they came up with the decision, and I really believe that it was their decision. They compared our meals. I think [other Top Chef finalist] Richard and I are both good chefs, but he just didn't make as great of a meal that night. So yeah, people can believe and say whatever they want; I just know in my heart that I worked really hard for that,” she said.
“I deserved it,” she summed up quite nicely.
On her future plans post-Top Chef, Izard plans to stay in Chicago to start working on opening up a new restaurant, which she hopes to open in a year.
-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Entertainment Weekly
(Image Courtesy of Celebrity Chefs)