New Winner of "Top Chef" First Woman to Win

Stephanie Izard became the first woman to win Top Chef, on Thursday, and told Reuters she felt she was "representing" her gender in a profession long considered to be dominated by men.

All through this season, the fourth season of the cooking show, Izard, 31, was known for keeping it cool in the kitchen and was on top of the pack most of the time. "It wasn't like I was going on a reality show to be some crazy reality show star," she told Reuters. "I was just there to do some cooking. My focus was my advantage." Many a time she simmered up unlikely combinations that surprised and delighted the judges, reported Reuters.

The chef from Chicago pulled out one last entry from her cookbook on Wednesday's finale when she served roasted lamb medallions with maitake mushrooms, braised pistachios, blackberry, and green olives. The judges wanted to hate the dish, but they couldn't help but love it after tasting it, reported Reuters.

Izard was trained at Arizona's Scottsdale Culinary Institute and was inspired by the chefs she worked with, she said to Reuters. The show had taken a break in between the choosing of the semi-finalists and the final showdown in which Izard ate, drank, and scuba dived her way through Southeast Asia and Latin America, reported Reuters. She plans to open a new restaurant in Chicago with the $100,000 winnings from the show.