Stephanie Izard was born in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois and grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, where she developed an interest in food from her parents.
She earned a degree in sociology from the University of Michigan in 1998 before attending the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Scottsdale, graduating in 1999.
[4][5][6][7] After graduating with a culinary arts degree, Izard worked in the Phoenix, Arizona area at the Camelback Inn Resort & Spa and Christopher Gross's Fermier Brasserie.
[5][8] After leaving Vong, Izard worked as tournant at Shawn McClain's Spring, and then as sous chef at Dale Levitski's La Tache.
In the wake of her Top Chef win, Izard met future business partners Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz of the BOKA Restaurant Group, and the trio eventually opened Girl and the Goat in Chicago's West Loop in the summer of 2010.
[12] The 130-seat restaurant features an eclectic menu showcasing Mediterranean influences and "nose-to-tail" cooking, emphasizing the use of offal alongside traditional cuts of meat.
[18] Around the time of Scylla's closing, Izard signed on to the Chicago-based fourth season of Bravo's Top Chef, which she ultimately won, becoming the show's first female winner and claiming a $100,000 prize.
[19] In the Puerto Rico-based finale, she chose Eric Ripert to assist with her prep work in preparing a four-course tasting menu for judging, which prevailed over the menus offered by fellow contestants Richard Blais and Lisa Fernandes.