Stephanie Izard Speaks on Top Chef Victory

Following her victory on Top Chef last night, Stephanie Izard sat down with People Magazine for an interview:

How does it feel to be the first female Top Chef winner?
It definitely makes me feel great to be the first female [winner]. Women are always struggling a little bit in this industry. I never look at myself as either a male or a female chef. I just think it's about who the best chef is. But at the end of the day, I know women have a tough time in the industry. There's just a lot of guys we have to push around. [Laughs.]

Stephanie Izard is a winner!

A lot of viewers were disgruntled that Lisa was in the final three. What was it like working with her in the finale?
Lisa came down to Puerto Rico as a new and improved Lisa. She didn't just get her hair cut. She came down ready to cook â€" and was being very positive. The nice thing about Lisa is [that] she does have a lot of confidence, and she was being really calm. I don't know if it's that Puerto Rican air that just made her super chill, but she definitely was the best version of Lisa that we've seen all season.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.