First Female 'Top Chef' Winner Stephanie Izard Reveals Importance of Gathering for Meals and What History Victory Means to Her Now

Stephanie Izard is a trailblazer for women in the culinary world.

The food expert made history when she became the first female to win Top Chef during the Bravo series' fourth season in 2008, but in the time since, Izard has continued to balance a highly successful career creating five-star dishes in the kitchen at her acclaimed restaurants and in front of the camera on numerous cooking shows.

Izard chats exclusively with OK! about what her groundbreaking victory means to her now, the pressure of creating the perfect dish while cameras roll, and the importance of food and community as she begins Season 2 of The Curious Chef.

"I have so many women that work in my kitchens — and women that don't work in my kitchens — who have mentioned feeling inspired that as a woman, you can make it to the top," she says.

"You can be a chef. You can do all of these things. We see our industry is starting to become a little bit more diverse and have a lot more women that are running kitchens," Izard notes. "It's fun to just feel like there's a little bit of impact from that and ongoing love of being a woman in the industry."

While the cooking star has been able to show off her skills on television, she doesn't shy away from the fact that the added eyes on her create another level of stress. "I've always said that the stress of running a restaurant really helps prepare you for the stress of any sort of competition television shows," she notes.

"There was one time I took a couple of my chefs from Girl and Goat [one of her many restaurants], and they got to compete alongside me on this show. The moment they saw the cameras, it was like they forgot how to cook," Izard laughs.

Despite the arduous yet fun process, the Chicago native says food is important in gathering and bonding family, friends, and community. "[When] I was growing up, making dinner was a part of the day. It was something that we came together, talked about our days, the whole family," she explains.

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