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Pitting some of the best professional chefs in the country against each other , Top Chefquickly became one of the most democratic reality television competition show , thanks to its tough challenge and even tougher judges . premiere on Bravo in 2006 , season 23 of the show hit the melody on March 14 , 2025 . PreviousTop Chefwinners have used the platform offer by their triumph to establish successful culinary vocation , so time will order who the winner will be and what they ’ll do with their platform . However , the show ’s format means that it is n’t necessarily the good chef who win the serial publication .
One bad day in the kitchen could easily see the most impressive cook being asked to pack up their knives and go . However , to see who the bestTop Chefshow chefs really are , it is important to see what they did when they left the reality TV series . profits or lose , the honorable of the best train the experience and create a calling outside of the reality telly confines , either by make their own successful restaurantor — in some case — by returning to television and helping happen the next batch of top chef .
10Brooke Williamson
Season 14 Champion
Brooke Williamson took two attempts to get her hands on theTop Chefcrown . After finish as runner - up in season 10,she made a get ahead comeback in time of year 14 , which saw returning cheftestants take on rookie chefs . At 22 , Brooke Williamson became the youngest distaff chef ever to cook at the James Beard Foundation House , the high tabernacle of American culinary arts , and she brought that same gumption of conclusion and creativity that had find out her chosen for that award to theTop Chefkitchen .
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Williamson has continued to showcase her accomplishment on other cookery shows , including dominating performances onTournament of Champions , where she won the first season of the contest series . She also appeared onTop Chef Duels , Guy ’s Grocery Games , andKnife Fight . She has sour as a justice onBBQ Brawland was the host and a wise man onMTVC ’s House of Food . She also stars onBobby ’s Triple Threat.
9Harold Dieterle
Season 1 Champion
Harold Dieterle was the winner of the very first season ofTop Chefback in 2006 , and though some would argue that the quality of the cheftestants has only increased in that clock time , there is little doubt that Dieterle is one of the most talented Cook to appear on the show . New York Magazinefood criticAdam Platt even describedDieterle ’s dishes as the most originalTop Chefcreations . Dieterle opened several eating house since taking theTop Cheftitle and now make as a consultant for others in the culinary industry .
He opened his first restaurant , Perilla , in 2007 in New York City , and three years after , he opened his 2d , Kin Shop , a Thai restaurant . He then opened an Italian and German eatery called The Marrowin 2012 in New York City , which only lasted for two years . By 2015 , he had close all of his restaurants and aver he needed a break of serve from the industry . In 2019 and 2024 , he helped open two more restaurants as a consultant and has also work on the TV seriesFeed the Beastas a adviser as well .
8Hung Huynh
Season 3 Champion
Set in Miami , season 3 ofTop Chefwas succeed by Vietnamese American protester Hung Huynh , who had dominated from 24-hour interval one and was the live favorite to win in the closing curtain against fellow cheftestants Dale Levitski and Casey Thompon . Huynh used his knowledge of Asian flavors and ingredientsto great effect in developing his bag , even creating his take on a Greco-Roman Pisces the Fishes and chips using a Japanese Pisces the Fishes call hamachi .
He always performed well when cooking Pisces dishes , so it is barely surprising thathe went on to spread a series of seafood restaurants . He open up The General , Catch , and Catch Miamibut but left in 2015 . He began create pop - up events in 2016 and act as a consultant for dissimilar eating place before helping openWarrior , an Asiatic - fusion restaurant and waiting area on the Sunset Strip in California in 2018 . Huynh now works as the Director of Culinary Innovation for Omei Restaurant Group in Orlando , Florida .
7Melissa King
Season 17 Champion
Melissa King securedone of the most impressive victories potential . During season 12 , she finished in fourth situation and was impressive throughout , but then she returned for the All - Stars time of year 17 solidifying in Los Angeles . She used her Californian culinary art to her hometown advantage , racking up wins throughout the season despite facing some of the stiffest challenger in serial publication history . She won six elimination challenge and three Quickfires , displaying how telling she is in the kitchen .
Thanks to the All - Star appearance , she ended up with the most single - season case-by-case challenge victories of any competitor in the show ’s story .
It was a huge return , and she avenge her former loss on the show with the comeback victory . Thanks to the All - Star appearing , she ended up with the most single - season single challenge victories of any contender in the show ’s history . In 2022 , she appeared as a jurist on Food web’sThe Julia Child Challenge . She has made a career choice to forego owning a restaurant and insteadowns a company that has create King Sauce , which she propose to other eating place and companies .
6Bryan Voltaggio
Runner-Up In Season 6
As ifTop Chefisn’t spectacular enough , season 6 add together a minuscule supernumerary spiciness by pitting two brothers against each other . The sib , Bryan Voltaggio and his immature brother Michael Voltaggio , took the top two spots in the competition , with Bryan go on to become the first cheftestant to contend in bothTop ChefandTop Chef : Masters(a spin - off series which only features award - winning chef ) . Despite never winning the top prize , there is no doubt that Bryan is one of the most technically gifted cooksthe show has seen .
A lot of fans still believeBryan should ’ve won hisTop Chefseason . After appearing onTop Chef , Voltaggio had a great career as a restauranteer . Before the show , he was the heading chef at Charlie Palmer Steak . year after , he work with his brother to open STRFSH , a fast - fooling Pisces the Fishes sandwich shop class in Santa Monica , California . That ran from 2017 to 2021 . The comrade also guide Estuary in Washington , D.C. , from 2019 until 2022 .
5Stephanie Izard
Season 4 Champion
Richard Blais is reckon one of the skillful and most successful contestants to ever contend onTop Chef . However , in his first season on the show , he lose to Stephanie Izard , who wasnot only crowned theTop Chefchamp in season 4 but was also voted the Fan Favorite by the watcher . The first woman to win the serial publication , Izard also won a honored James Beard award for her menu at one of her three Chicago restaurant .
The net installment of season 4 envision a close struggle culinary battle between Izard and Richard Blais , who plump on to gain theAll - Stars season and prove just how high the standard were this particular year . AfterTop Chef , she opened Girl and the Goat in Chicago in 2010 and was put forward for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant . Food & Winemagazine also named Izard one of the Best New Chefs . She opened a 2nd restaurant in 2011 ( Little Goat ) and a third in 2015 ( Duck Duck Goat ) . She has since expanded her first to a 2d location in Los Angeles .
4Mei Lin
Season 12 Champion
Having spent part of her other career working as a sous chef forTop Chefalum Michael Voltaggio at his eating place Ink ( which he opened after winningTop Chef ) , she then set out to match his success on the reality television set contention serial . Since she worked under Voltaggio , it was no surprisal that Mei Lin took the rival by tempest whenshe wonTop Chefseason 12 in Boston . Lin had also work forTop Chefjudge Wolfgang Puck at his Las Vegas restaurant Spago .
After her win , Lin became Oprah Winfrey ’s personal chefand contributed recipes to Winfrey ’s cookery book , Food , Health & Happiness .. She then opened a eating house call Nightshade in the Los Angeles Arts District in 2019 . Her eatery was a James Beard Foundation Award finalist for Best New Restaurant , but she had to close down her room access after the pandemic . Lin has since open up Daybird in Los Angeles . Ultimately , Lin shanghai in the time of year 12 last with a strawberry basswood curd that evaluator Tom Colicchio said was the good dessert he had ever tasted on the show .
3Richard Blais
Top Chef All-StarsChampion
time of year 4 runner - up Richard Blais returned triumphantly to theTop Chefkitchen for theAll Starscompetition in 2011 and was one of the few cheftestants who managed to win while continue democratic with his rivals . While Blais was a " villain " in time of year 4 when he lost to Stephanie Izard , he returned as a more pop contestant in the All - Star time of year ( time of year 8) and won it by beating Mike Isabella and Carla Hall . It was a immense second and help establish his vocation .
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After pull ahead in 2010 , Blais afford his eating place and published a cookbook(Try This at Home : formula From My Head to Your scale ) that was nominated for a esteemed James Beard award – an annual award given out for extraordinary culinary achievements . Blais also made a twain of guest - judgement appearances onthe fantastic reality cooking series(seasons 12 , 13 , and 18 ) . In 2024 , Blais partnered with Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale , Arizona , to debut new hotel dining experience .
Original SR Image by Shawn Lealos.
2Kristen Kish
Season 10 Champion
Brooke Williamson finished as smuggler - up to Kristen Kish in season 10 , andKish ’s culinary life history has gone from military strength to posture since she wonTop Chefin 2013 . The Korean - born chef combined Asian flavors brilliantly with her classical training , as well as being a natural in front of the television camera . However , Kish ’s win did n’t amount easy , as she had to face the Last Chance Kitchen five times on her way to the final .
After herTop Chefsuccess , Kish open her restaurant in Austin , Texas , and she even co - hosted a telly show on the Travel Channel called36 Hours . In 2021 , she returned to reality TV to star inFast Foodiesand a Nat Geo series calledRestaurants at the End of the World . She has even returned to theTop Chefworld . After Padma Lakshmi stepped away from the franchise to pursue other exertion , Kish accepted the job to become the new host ofTop Chef , proving that she is one of the most successful icon to come from the series .
1Michael Voltaggio
Season 6 Champion
The young of the two Voltaggio siblings who competed against each other inTop Chefseason 6,Michael won theTop Cheftitle and bragging rightfield over onetime brother Bryan Voltaggio . Michael was a term of enlistment de military group that sitting , with a " gamy " outrank for the chef in six weeks , a win in four weeks ( including the finale ) , and only one hebdomad with a " Low " score . The finis saw both brothers in action against Kevin Gillespie , and it was Michael who win it all , while his buddy took second property .
Top Chefjudge Tom Colicchio described Michael Voltaggio as the most talented chef he had seen on the show .
After his appearing onTop Chef , he opened an award - gain ground sandwich eatery called ink.sack , which he shockingly designed and opened with almost no flash . He ran it from 2011 until 2018 . After that , he and his brother opened a restaurant promise STRFSH , a fast - casual Pisces sandwich shop in Santa Monica , which they ran from 2017 to 2021.Top Chefjudge Tom Colicchio name Michael Voltaggio as the most gifted chef he had interpret on the show ( viaLos Angeles Magazine ) .
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