Top Chef Winners

This show quickly take the spotlight as one of the favorite cooking shows on television.

Top Chef is an American based reality television show on Bravo, featuring chefs competing with each other in different challenges. They are judged by a panel of professionals with one or more of the chefs being eliminated each episode. Winners get a prize package, including $100,000, so they can turn their winning into glory. This doesn't include all the interviews, press, and spotlight that the winners receive after the season is over.

The official website can be found here, on Bravo.

Winners of American Idol receive a great prize: their own contract. Although not all Idol winners have made it big or popular, a number of them have gone onto making star careers for themselves.

The problem with a reality show based off of chefs is that being a chef isn't glamorous work like being a singer is. Normally, you don't go on tour and you don't become rich and famous, a few exceptions excluded. It's a tough world out there for chefs.

There are, however, a number of avenues that chefs can take. What are the winners up to now?

Season 1: Harold Dieterle

Dieterle left his 5 year sous-chef position at The Harrison in New York to open his own restaurant, Perilla, in New York City. As of today, it is a successful restaurant.

Season 2:Ilan D. Hall

Hall left his line cook position at Casa Mono in Manhattan to open up his first restaurant, The Gorbals, in downtown Los Angeles. However, a scandal broke out as it was shut down less than a week after opening. It has since reopened its doors.

Season 3: Hung Huynh

Huynh left his executive sous chef position at the Guy Savoy in Las Vegas to be a chef at Buddha Bar in New York, as well as have some cameos on Top Chef other seasons.

Season 4: Stephanie Izard

Izard was the chef/owner of Scylla in Chicago, which she sold in 2007. She plans on opening a restaurant called "The Drunken Goat" in Chicago.

Season 5: Hosea Rosenberg

Rosenberg was the head chef at Jax Fish House in Boulder. He seems to have been the most prosperous out of all the chefs so far, and started his own web site and consulting business.

Season 6: Michael Voltaggio

In a very brotherly competition, Michael Voltaggio won the season against his Bryan and Kevin, with a guest appearance of his mother. It's too early to tell if Voltaggio will do anything special with his winnings.