The New It Girl: Stephanie Izard

Want to guarantee your bash has the buzz it deserves? Add this new "It" girl to your guest list—pronto.

Stephanie Izard


Age: 33

Background check: Born in Evanston, Izard earned a BA in Sociology at the University of Michigan before sharpening her knife at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. She moved into a new condo in Bucktown this summer.

Claim to fame: The Top Chef season 4 winner—she was the show’s first female champ!—has had a local following for years thanks to her Windy City restaurant, Scylla, which she closed in 2007 (not to mention time at La Tache, Spring and Vong).

Day job: Izard is set to open her second restaurant, Girl & the Goat, this spring in the West Loop. Expect a small plates- and charcuterie-fueled menu from the cute cuisinier. She’s also in the process of penning a new cookbook.

Hangouts: Green City Market, The Bristol, Bluebird, Avec, Rootstock Wine & Beer Bar, The Spice House.

Cause: Common Threads, an organization devoted to teaching kids about healthy eating.

Significant other: Single and sassy.

Look: Izard does her best showing off in the kitchen and prefers to keep things simple in essentials from Banana Republic 
and Anthropologie.

"The New It Girl: Stephanie Izard" is part five of a six part series

Monday: "The New It Girl: Giuliana Rancic"
Tuesday: "The New It Girl: Kelli Zink"
Wednesday: "The New It Girl: Ginger Zee"
Thursday: "The New It Girl: Lindsay Avner"
Friday: "The New It Girl: Stephanie Izard"
Saturday: "The New It Girl: Jillian Harris"