"KevinSbraga" news and stories

Top Chef has always espoused an "any given Sunday" approach to the competition, but while we've seen some underdogs make it far in the past, Top Chef: D.C. winner Kevin Sbraga really came out of nowhere to win the title. He now joins the likes of Michael Voltaggio, Stephanie Izard and Hung Huynh in the coveted Top Chef stable. As the final challenge asked the chefs to cook the "meal of their life," Kevin offered four courses -- including a killer dessert -- that showed a wide range of culinary knowledge and a willingness to embrace his local surroundings.

His "Singapore Sling 2010" -- a play on the famous cocktail -- was reportedly so good, Chef Tom Colicchio took to his blog, saying "he arrived with the know-how to dash off a great panna cotta and found a way to integrate it into a dish, allowing himself to be inspired by the fruits he found. It was smart. In fact, it was sensational."

Currently the executive chef at Rat's Restaurant at the Grounds for Sculpture, Kevin received his training from Johnson and Wales in Miami and has worked as the Chef de Cuisine at The Grill at Philadelphia's Ritz-Carlton Hotel. In 2008, he won the Best Meat Presentation at Bocuse d'Or USA -- so he does have some experience with winning.

Slashfood spoke with Kevin about his underdog win in Singapore, how he did the "Singapore Sling" and what he plans to do with his prize money, now that he's reigning Top Chef.

What good is Singapore if we don't get to experience it through Tiffany's awestruck eyes? That was the question we were asking ourselves when we sat down to watch the endurance test -- for the chefs, at least -- that is the Top Chef finale. We know we should be over our favorite cheftestant's elimination by now, but we weren't.

Instead of Tiffany's brilliantly skewed, down-to-earth worldview, we got Angelo's weird, "I'm Asian on the inside" commentary on, well, just about everything. From the moment he arrived, he acted like he owned the continent. Boasting about his wok skills, mocking Ed's aversion to black cockles, Angelo loudly announced his dominance early on -- which, of course, made him a prime target for being taken down, something Ed was more than willing to attempt (and rather successfully, at that).