The 9 Best Winners Of Top Chef, According To Reddit

Bravo’s hit show Top Chef is the best of both worlds for many viewers. Its seamless fusion of a standard cooking show with a reality competition show has gained the attention of fans of both since its inception in 2006, with many of the chefs the show has crowned as season winners going on to have stellar culinary careers in their time after the series.

Naturally, fans have crowned certain victors as greater than others. While all are clearly talented chefs, Redditors have had in-depth discussions about which of the winners are the true top-tier champs. Almost every name came up in some capacity, but some certainly stood out as being more commonly chosen than others.

Stephanie Izard, Season 4

Across every Reddit thread and discussion on the top winners of the show, one common name consistently comes up. The skilled season 4 champion Stephanie Izard has a reputation among the show’s fan community for being a top-tier winner, and it is easily deserved. Reddit user u/taeempy succinctly summed it up, commenting “She’s won a James Beard award and is also an Iron Chef. All her restaurants are amazing.”

While that comment is brief, it is all that is needed to prove her reputation. She helps run three award winning restaurants in Chicago, while also beating superstar chefs such as Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, and Michael Symon on Iron Chef. Her accolades speak for themselves.

Richard Blais, Season 8

Another easy choice, Richard pops up towards the top of the overwhelming majority of lists that users have posted, with users such as u/niamphan and u/rW0HgFyxoJhYka both having him at the top of their lists.

He did come in second on his original season behind just Stephanie before coming back for revenge and winning All-Stars in season 8. Winning All-Stars against some of the greatest chefs the show has seen is something that only he has on his resume. He made his incredible dish of raw tuna belly and fried chicken skin with chilies and lime, something that may not sound appetizing to many, a victory-winning dish, showing just how talented he is.

Michael Voltaggio, Season 6

Michael is held in high regard by fans, with thread starter u/Lexistential247 having him at the top of their list as the only winner above Stephanie and Richard, while he appears in the top five of everyone who also took a stab at a list in the comments.

He was a powerhouse on his season, with one of his iconic dishes that garnered praise from judges being for being uniquely crafted and delicious was his couscous stuffed grape leaves. His championship dish of fennel-scented squab breast was also a big hit, earning him such high placements on almost every fan’s personal best list. He currently operates a popular fish sandwich spot in California, further showing his culinary prowess.

Brooke Williamson, Season 14

Brooke’s legacy was cemented when she won season 14 of Top Chef, with her unique recipes earning the praise of judges and fans alike, but what she did with her career outside the show elevates her from outstanding to flat-out legendary. Commenter u/dajiffer76 made an astute observation, commenting “…Brooke beat Michael V and Blais in that Food network tournament of champions.”

To be the best you have to beat the best, and Brooke did just that on both Top Chef and Food Network’s Tournament of Champions. She also took home a victory on cooking competition show Knife Fight, became the youngest female chef to cook at the acclaimed James Beard House, while also winning three straight elimination challenges on Last Chance Kitchen en route to her victory.

Kristen Kish, Season 10

Kristen was seemingly defeated in season 10, being sent home in the Restaurant Wars episode in what is widely considered one of the most unfair eliminations on the show. As Redditor u/rW0HgFyxoJhYka explains, she took the fall for a fellow contestant before earning her way back into the contest in Last Chance Kitchen, becoming the first ever winner to re-earn their safety. They finish their comment by mentioning how “Kristen was absolutely the best technical chef during her season by far.”

This is certainly true, as other threads also almost universally have her in their top five winners. She defeated future winner Brooke in this season, further solidifying her case. She is also the second most followed Top Chef winner on Instagram with just under 300k followers, only behind Richard Blais, showing just how highly fans look at her.

Hung Huynh, Season 3

Huynh may not be one of the first names that comes to mind when discussing Top Chef legends, but he has a resume as impressive as many of them. Redditor u/DYRTYDAVE summed it up well, writing “Hung was clearly the best chef on his season out of a decent group of contestants that went on to become very successful. Hung helped create the Catch empire…competed in the Bocuse d’Or and won the best fish award, and has launched new ventures since.”

They hit all the key points that make Huynh so applauded by fans. The success he has found in his career after claiming victory on season 3 makes him one of the show’s all-time greats. His modern, American takes on traditional Asian cuisine has opened the door to tons of flavors previously unknown to those who dine at his eateries. Today, he is still finding great success, as he is a chef de cuisine at one of Masaharu Morimoto’s restaurants in Disney Springs.

Mei Lin, Season 12

Lin showed her talent throughout season 12, but was far from a clear cut victor heading into the finale. She pulled through though, putting up a terrific final performance, most notably with her strawberry lime curd dessert that judges called “one of the best desserts” in Top Chef history, and “blow-you-away amazing.”

Reddit poster u/RevolutionaryDish, who started a thread ranking the winners, also ranked her as a top five winner and mentioned how her restaurant Nightshade is one of the hottest eateries in Los Angeles at the moment, which is not an easy accomplishment in a city known for having such renowned food. She also was Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef for a time, a huge compliment in its own right, as she has the money and connections to hire any chef who would be willing.

Nicholas Elmi, Season 11

Nicholas is a bit of a polarizing figure amongst fans of Top Chef, but enough people defend him to warrant his inclusion on this list. In the same thread started by u/RevolutionaryDish, many came to the defense of Nick.

The original poster mentioned how even though many consider him to be an unworthy winner who should have come in second, he still would have been a very strong second-place finisher, and his restaurants have found great success in his time after the show. Commenter u/c_universe added “Not sure why Nick Elmi is catching a little heat in the comments. He stood out to my girlfriend and I as easily being the best chef in his season, not to mention the food at his restaurant Laurel was a masterpiece.”

Jeremy Ford, Season 13

Last but not least, winner of season 13 Jeremy Ford rounds out the top 10. While not many really consider him to be in the same class as some of the heavy hitters like Steph, Richard, or Kristen, he is still a highly accomplished chef in his own right and more than worthy to be in contention for a top 10 slot on a list of the show’s greatest.

The biggest factor going in his favor was the competitiveness of his season. Commenter u/ceddya brought up how “his season was pretty competitive, certainly more so than seasons 15/16 IMO.” He had a difficult road to the finale and was able to pull out a victory as well.

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