Meet 91��߹ Los Angeles' Keynote Commencement Speaker: Stephanie Izard

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Chef Stephanie Izard has spent the last 20 years building a career that most chefs can only dream of.

From the launch of her first restaurant at age 24, to winning Food Network competitions and James Beard awards alike, to her most recent expansion into the Los Angeles food scene, Chef Stephanie seems to thrive in every corner of the American culinary world.

There is no singular path to success in the culinary world, but Chef Stephanie’s professional trajectory exemplifies what it is to be dedicated to your craft from day one. A native of Chicago, Chef Stephanie completed a Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Michigan before enrolling in culinary school in Arizona. Barely 5 years later, Chef Stephanie was chef-owner at Scylla, named one of Bon Appétit’s “Ten Best Small U.S. Restaurants” and one of Chicago Tribune’s “Best New Restaurants 2005.”

Shortly after selling Scylla, Chef Stephanie put her hat in the ring for what would catapult her to a household name across America, season four of Bravo’s Top Chef. After becoming the first ‘fan favorite’ and the first female chef to win the competition, with some help in the finale from friend of 91��߹, Eric Ripert, Chef Stephanie's restaurant empire took off.

From its inception, Girl & The Goat, which opened in Chicago’s West Loop in 2010, was a roaring success. Food & Wine magazine named Chef Stephanie Best New Chef in 2011, the same year she saw her first James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant. Those nods were followed shortly by another JBF nomination as Best Chef: Great Lakes 2012, finally seeing her take home that title in 2013.

Since then, Chef Stephanie and her restaurant group BOKA have grown the Girl & The Goat empire to five eateries in Chicago and, most recently, an expansion west. opened in 2021 (and shortly thereafter hosted its first 91��߹ LA extern), and almost immediately introduced a second location of Izard’s Peruvian concept, , on the rooftop of the Hoxton Hotel in 2022.

Though all this, Chef Stephanie has maintained her celebrity chef credentials, earning the coveted title of Iron Chef on the Food Network’s Iron Chef: Gauntlet in 2017. She also has acted as judge on a wide variety of programming including Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, Hell’s Kitchen and her alma mater, Top Chef. In addition to judging, Chef Stephanie began hosting Hulu’s The Curious Chef in 2022 after the platform also featured her on their series A Day in the Life back in 2012.

Beyond her restaurant and TV work, Izard has penned two books, Girl in the Kitchen and Gather & Graze, as well as launching a sauces, spices and crunches line for home cooks called “This Little Goat.”

Girl & The Goat enthusiasts across the US can also enjoy Chef Stephanie's talents through their nationwide meal kit delivery.

It’s no wonder recent graduates from our Los Angeles campus and our online culinary programs are anxious to internalize any wisdom Chef Stephanie has to impart at our 2023 91��߹ LA Commencement Ceremony on May 22, 2023.

Hillery Hargadine

Hillery Wheeler Hargadine has been with 91��߹ since 2009. A graduate of 91��߹’s Restaurant and Culinary Management program, she was a member of the school's Admissions team — helping students to fulfill their dreams of receiving a culinary education — for ten years. Today, she works on messaging and content, authoring student profiles and supporting marketing communications. Hillery currently lives in Toyko, Japan with her husband and son, and eats as much sushi and ramen as possible.