Biggest Win Ever on Top Chef

The last show of Top Chef, Season Four, found us supporting our personal favorites. I admit it, I wanted Richard to win, but I liked Stephanie too, so I knew I would be just as happy to see her triumph over Richard and win it all. I also had to consider that Richard won a great car last week (a silver Corolla) when Antonia was sent home so even if he lost he was still a winner. Stephanie is really a cook who can keep up with the orders in a large kitchen as she proved when serving at Tramonto's Steak House in Chicago on the show that aired the week before last. It would be thrilling to see the first ever woman contestant win Top Chef. However, Richard remains a ground-breaking chef who tries new things week to week and is entertaining to watch. He is a food artist who likens food preparation to fine art with the finished product resembling a great painting. Wouldn't he make a great host for a cooking show filled with new ideas and gadgets?

This week found our chefs back in the brilliant sunshine of Puerto Rico. The fun, languid attitudes of the island people drew us to the excitement like a magnet pulls a fragment of metal. You could almost smell the lush tropical flowers blooming everywhere, along with the scent of citrus fruit abounding in the vegetation.

We watched 16 chefs compete until it was narrowed down to three, tonight we had high hopes for fan favorites Richard and Stephanie. Lisa remained an unpleasant competitor. She must be a good cook or she wouldn't have reached the final show but personality wise, forget it. The last show started with the three finalists sitting in the sun eating breakfast, it sure looked like a great place to vacation, beautiful blue seas and lovely scenery. Their challenge was to cook a four course meal and they were given famous sou chefs, April Bluefield, Dan Barber, and Eric Le Pere. The meal was served in a gorgeous restaurant, wouldn't you love to dine there? Our favorite judges Ted Allen, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and, of course, Padma Lakshmi were joined by the sou chefs, who didn't show up for work on day two (an extra last minute challenge that could happen in any kitchen), and they were also joined by two famous chefs.

Lisa brought her "A" game to surprise the judges who, along with us, didn't expect her to be a contender. Richard underseasoned his dish, but Stephanie impressed the judges. Oh Stephanie, good for you! There were mostly compliments for all the dishes, but less for Richard. The judges loved Lisas dessert, they loved Richards too, but Stephanie's dessert bombed. All together they all impressed the judges and their meals were flawless. What would we see at the judges table when all three were so close?

At judges table the contestants were quizzed about their ideas for the meal and what they wanted to accomplish. They seemed to compliment Lisa more than the other contestants. Oh no, not Lisa? But, they also loved Stephanie's dishes, although not her dessert. Who would they crown as top chef? Richard mentioned that he didn't do his best which surprised the judges. It came down to Lisa or Stephanie with a woman sure to win Top Chef. It was indeed sad to see Richard slip, but I have a feeling we will be seeing him again with all his interesting gadgets and pleasant personality, a new kind of cooking that could be coined "experimental cooking," who wouldn't be interested in that? My question is why choose the Top Chef from one meal without considering the accumulated performance of good consistent winners? The fan favorite was obviously Stephanie who most people voted as the one they wanted to see as the winner, in a poll held last night.

In the end it was Stephanie who won Top Chef and is the first woman to win this show in four seasons. Good luck Stephanie, that is a great win. She will be a great representative for this show and a great person to have won.

So, now it is on to Project Runway for the viewers of Bravo TV.