"Top Chef: Chicago" 6/11- THIS IS IT, PEOPLE

For the final challenge, the three finalists had to each cook a four-course meal. They were still in Puerto Rico. Here were the sous chef layout for each finalist:

Stephanie Izard: Eric Ripert (Chef/co-owner, Le Bernardin)
Richard Blais: Dan Barber (Chef/co-owner, Blue Hill)
Lisa Fernandes: April Bloomfield (Chef/co-owner, The Spotted Pig)

In their last four hours of prepping the food, they were on their own (that's right, they couldn't get any help from their sous chefs at that point).

STEPHANIE:
First course: Seared red snapper, truffled clam, asparagus broth and asparagus salad
Second course: Seared quail breast over lobster ravioli with mango-lobster sauce and quail egg
Third course: Lamb with maitake mushrooms, braised pistachios, blackberry and olive tapenade
Dessert: Ricotta poundcake with tropical fruit and banana creme

RICHARD:
First course: Scallop with mango and pineapple vinegar
Second course: Guinea hen, chicken egg, foie gras and spring vegetables
Third course: Pickled radishes, mirin broth and pork belly
Dessert: Banana "scallop" with bacon ice cream

LISA:
First course: Grilled prawns with chili basil sauce, crab and homemade potato chips
Second course: Tom Kha Gai soup with dumpling
Third course: Wacyh beef with chayote and cucumber salad, hot sauce and garlic chips
Dessert: Black Thai rice pudding with lime and mango creme, taro and coconut

Advantage for first course: Stephanie. Her fish was said to have been perfect. Richard's scallops were a bit bland while Lisa's prawns were a little too hot.

Advantage for second course: Lisa. The flavor of her soup blew everybody away. Stephanie's quail egg, I believe, was undercooked, while Richard's second course was muddled as a whole.

Advantage for third course: Stephanie. Her third course was very open-minded and creative, and the lamb was perfect. Lisa's beef was said to have been too sweet in flavor.

Advantage for dessert: Richard. The dessert he made was similar to the one he won a challenge with. Lisa was a close second, and Stephanie didn't do that well here, as the banana creme was off the mark.

Now, for the home poll results on whom you thought should win this season:

Stephanie: 60%
Richard: 36%
Lisa: 4%

On all accounts, this should come down to Stephanie and Richard....













...I WILL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT ONE OF THOSE TWO HAS WON. AND THAT LUCKY PERSON IS...



















...STEPHANIE IZARD!!!! THE FIRST FEMALE CHAMPION ON THIS SHOW!!! SHE HAS DONE MORE GOOD WORK THAN ANYBODY I'VE SEEN ON THIS SHOW (including all of those Immunity Challenge wins)! STEPH, YOU REALLY DESERVED THIS VICTORY. GOD BLESS.