One thing you don't know about me is that my jacket got attached to the ski lift when I was young and I got dragged halfway back down the hill. Now I'm afraid of skiing.
I'm most proud of opening my first restaurant, Scylla, though I'm not sure if I could go back and do it again.
One of my most memorable meals was five years ago at Tetsuya in Sydney, Australia. Tetsuya Wakuda's cookbook was also one of my favorites, so it was amazing to finally try some of his food in person. All of the flavors were so bright and worked so well together. I sat alone and watched other people's pleasant reactions as they enjoyed each bite.
If there were no cheese, I'd have no reason to live.
My go-to drink is a glass of bubbly.
If I were on death row my last meal would be toro sashimi and fries with ranch dressing.
The thing I hate most about this business is people calling and saying that they got food poisoning from eating at my restaurant two hours earlier. It takes 18-24 hours to incubate! It was yesterday's lunch!
If I could change one thing about me I would be more of a neat freak so my apartment did not resemble a frat house.
My idea of a perfect day is sitting in the sun with friends enjoying a cocktail.
If I was not a restaurant operator I'd love to be a scuba instructor.
Stephanie Izard is the Season Four winner of Bravo's Top Chef. In 2004 she opened Mediterranean-influenced Scylla, which Bon Appetit magazine declared one of the 10 finest small restaurants in the country. After three years of long, busy weeks, Stephanie decided to close the Chicago restaurant. She is currently in the midst of opening a new restaurant, The Drunken Goat, which is scheduled to debut this fall in Chicago.