
Tom Colicchio has absolutely no regrets about naming Hosea Rosenberg winner on Wednesday’s Top Chef season finale, and now he has something to say to fuming fans.
“If I had to do it all over again, reading what I’m reading, I’d still say Hosea wins. He made a better meal,” he told PEOPLE exclusively, calling from New York on Thursday afternoon.
While some fans – including many PEOPLE.com readers – stewed over Rosenberg’s victory and emphasized Stefan Richter’s multiple wins and Carla Hall’s passion for food, Colicchio, who acts as the show’s head judge, stands by the judges’ decision.
“It’s fortunate for Hosea that he put together a better meal than Stefan,” Colicchio says. “Simple as that. We don’t care about personalities. We don’t care about who was making out. We simply care about who put together a better meal from start to finish.”
Plus, he adds, the judges only consider the output from that night’s challenge – never relying on past performances or outside factors.
“I come to Judges’ Table with an idea of who I think should win based on what the challenge was – not based on who I think the best chef is,” he says. (more…)
He sweat it out in New Orleans — and on Wednesday night Hosea Rosenberg, 35, was
He cooked steadily — and quietly — all season, and in Wednesday’s finale, Hosea Rosenberg, 35, bested fan favorite Carla Hall and uber-confident Stefan Richter to become Top Chef.

They took some time off to rest, study up on Creole cuisine and, in Fabio’s case, grow a mohawk. Then the remaining four chefs — Stefan, Carla, Fabio and Hosea — packed up their knives and headed down to New Orleans recharged and ready for the semifinals.










