Join us, won’t you, for Top Chef correspondent Zach Feldman’s final lap around the TC stadium.
 
The finale for season four of Top Chef did an admirable job of ratcheting up the suspense, but in the end, the decision was inevitable. There’s been enough contention on the Internet about this finally being the season in which a female Top Chef would be crowned, and conspiracy theories aside, the last few episodes have shaped up just so.

The episode kicked off with a quick overview of the contestants’ feelings on their journey thus far, and what lay ahead. Stephanie wanted to overcome her nerves, Lisa was convinced she deserved to be there (and surprisingly—perhaps for the first time ever—demonstrated it effectively), and Richard expressed his disbelief that she was still hanging on.
 
The chefs met Tom and Padma, who were joined by three of New York’s most celebrated chefs: TC favorite Eric Ripert, and newcomers to reality TV Dan Barber (Blue Hill) and April Bloomfield (Spotted Pig). The three would act as sous chefs for the contestants. Richard and Stephanie had both won four eliminations up to that point, so there was a knife-pulling ceremony to determine who would pick first. Stephanie went with Ripert, Richard with Barber, and Lisa got Bloomfield.
 
The challenge was simple: Create a four-course meal progressing through fish, fowl, red meat and dessert. During prep, Lisa and April got along and were chitchatting through most of the work—the irony of which was not lost on Richard or Stephanie, as Lisa’s personality grated on almost everyone else. Lisa attributed their shared “edgy” personalities as the reason for the connection. At one point, Richard had all three guest chefs crowded around him as he demonstrated how to use liquid nitrogen to make ice cream without crystals, creating a smoother, richer consistency.
 
When they returned the following day they were told their sous chefs had tapped out and they’d be fending for themselves. Come mealtime, the chefs’ courses were all presented head-to-head to a panel that included Ripert, Barber and Bloomfield, along with Ted Allen, Gail Simmons, Tim Zagat, Alfredo Ayala (a famous Puerto Rican chef), Tom and Padma.
 
After much deliberating among the guests, the judges stole away to their own table to decide the final ruling. Given one last chance to defend themselves, Stephanie and Lisa each confidently expressed her belief that she should take the title. Yet Richard, who’d been so sure of himself up until this point, admitted that he felt he choked.
 
Though the judges unanimously disliked Stephanie’s dessert, they agreed that she had presented very good dishes (and, in the case of her lamb with braised pistachios and olives, a great one) up to that point. She took home the final win, along with the distinction of being the first-ever female Top Chef.
 
With season five already casting, it won’t be too much longer until Padma’s back at it again, yelling "Allez cuisine!" Oh, wait…wrong show.