'Top Chef All-Stars' Winner Richard Blais and Runner-Up Mike Isabella Speak

It was one of a the closest contests ever in 'Top Chef' history, as Wednesday's finale came down to two remarkable, four-course dinners composed by the remaining two 'Top Chef All-Stars' cheftestants.

It was like a prize fight, with both heavyweight chefs Richard Blais and Michael Isabella slugging it out course by course, dish by dish, morsel by morsel.

The judges, including guest chefs like Hubert Keller and Art Smith, were duly impressed by the food presented by these two finalists. Head judge Tom Colicchio declared that it had been the best cooking he'd ever eaten in a 'Top Chef' finale.

Ultimately, the choice of one over the other was a case of splitting hairs, with Blais emerging victorious. Read on for interviews with both Blais and Isabella.

An early favorite to win, season 4 finalist Blais, who's worked for culinary stars like Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud, excelled as the competition progressed. In the finale, he made the meal of a lifetime.

Although New Jersey-born Mike Isabella took second place, he still emerged as a scrappy dark horse who did far better than many assumed he would.

In the following interviews, Mike and Richard reflect on the competition and look ahead to their post-'All-Stars' future.

RICHARD BLAIS

TV Squad: What was your wife's reaction to your winning?
Richard Blais: She said congratulations. I'm not really sure, but it was some combination of joy and surprise. It was really early in the morning when I called her, so I caught her off guard a bit.

Before Padma announced that you were 'Top Chef,' did you think Mike had won it?
No, I think I was expressing throughout the season what restaurant guests think, how they feel when they're waiting for a critique or a review in a major publication. So I think I was just constantly analyzing what could have gone wrong. You know, even if something might be good in the end, I was prepared to certainly shake Mike's hand and tell him congratulations if that was the case. It was definitely up in the air. As you saw, I expect the worst and then I'm happy with the outcome.

Why did you make the decision to switch out the Cap'n Crunch ice cream for foie gras ice cream instead?
Well, the Cap'n Crunch ice cream is definitely on the menu at my restaurants. We actually do a Cap'n Crunch milkshake. But I thought in my menu planning, which was only an hour the day of the cooking, that going into the event the foie gras thematically fit the restaurant that I was building a little bit more than the Cap'n Crunch. It wasn't a question of which is more delicious.

What will you do with the $200,000 prize?
The show is set up so that when you win first prize you get to use it to better your career. That's what I'm going to do with a majority of it. I'll either invest it in the restaurants I'm operating or find new investors to do a Tongue and Cheek in a big city market. I'm also going to use a portion for real world things, like my children's education.

Did you feel that you were playing it safe in the finale by doing the braised short ribs?
I think collectively the meal was far from safe, but I think, unfortunately, my reputation sometimes gets in my way. People expect laser beams and liquid nitrogen on everything. One of my main goals of the season was to try and prove that although I enjoy playing with modern techniques and I definitely will use technology and science to make food better, if I have a spoon and a sauté pan, some salt and pepper and butter, I can cook as well. Yes, the beef course was a little safe, I'll agree with that. That being said, it certainly ended up being a delicious dish that was well-executed.

Many of your colleagues were rooting for you and felt you were a good guy throughout the competition; was that important to you?
I don't intentionally try to be a good guy, it just happens. I love what I do and I love sharing information, kind of like a kid on Christmas morning. When I have a new toy to play with, I want to share it with my neighbor. I think a lot of that comes from wanting to share information. In a restaurant kitchen in the real world, you work with a big team and there's a lot of collaboration, a lot of sharing, which is how you make a great restaurant. I brought a little bit of that to the game. It's an honor that my colleagues whom I admire and learn from were rooting for me.

You said that you had will this to happen, winning 'Top Chef.' Can you explain that?
I had to teach myself how to try to win. When I say I willed it, I just never let my mind think otherwise. My high anxiety throughout the season was that I knew the consequences of not winning. I didn't like it and I didn't want to feel that again. I was making a strong effort to not go through those feelings again. I thought about winning in reference to how to win, to the point of watching the U.S. hockey team 1980 miracle on ice speech on the plane to the Bahamas.

MIKE ISABELLA

TV Squad: You'd said last night that if second place is the first loser, is that how you feel now?
Michael Isabella: No, I just said that to motivate myself. Sometimes it works. I want to be the best and I try to be the best. For me, I won. I was one of the biggest winners in the entire season. The only one who beat me was Richard. He won the money, obviously, but people expected Richard to win from the beginning of the season. Nobody expected me to do what I did. I put out really great food and won a bunch of challenges. I came on when I needed to come on. I made a phenomenal meal, and it could have gone either way. It was close. It was a split decision, but in my eyes, I won.

Was the pepperoni sauce something you'd been saving for the finale?
No, I wasn't holding it in my back pocket. I like to change textures and flavors. When you close your eyes, I want you to remember certain things. I saw pepperoni and I thought it would bring a different element to the braised pork. I gambled and I made a sauce out of pepperoni. It turned out to be the hit of the night. It will be on the menu of Graffiato, my new restaurant which opens in Washington in May.

What was your favorite challenge?
The fishing, where we caught our own fish then went to the farmer's market and got our own vegetables. Also the one where I won the car. When you win a car, it's big.

Earlier in the year, there was a controversy about you swiping an idea from Richard's notebook. Did you?
Chefs inspire me more than anything else in the world. I got out to eat in new restaurants in every city I visit and I take ideas and I make them my own. What was in Richard's notebook was a drawn piece of chicken. Jen Carroll was still on the show when that happened, so you know that when it happened in the challenge, it was weeks later. I won because Paula Deen liked my oyster gravy. I won because it was my dish. It was not his dish. We all inspire each other. Everything's been done before; it's just making it into your own. That got all blown out of proportion. It was all bullshit at the end of the day.

At the end of the show, you were upset about losing. Then on the after show, you were grateful to Richard for helping you ... what was your real feelings?
Listen, I just say things. If you look at the whole season, Richard deserved to win as much as anyone. He was the most helpful, he was the most consistent, he was winning from the beginning up to the end. He was my biggest competition. We both thought I had won when we were waiting to face judges' table. Whatever, we have a great relationship. I have nothing but the highest respect for him. I hope we can do something together down the road.

What changed in you between the time in New York and then when you went to the Bahamas for the finales?
I went back to basics. I tried to clear my mind. I went to all the top restaurants around D.C. I was working with Brian Voltaggio and with all these different chefs, questioning them and talking to them about cooking. Obviously we're all great cooks, but it's about creativity and execution. It opened my eyes. I was ready to shock the world.

Where were you before season six as compared to where you were before 'All-Stars'?
I went into the first competition thinking that I was better than everybody, and that experience humbled me a bit when I didn't do what I thought I was going to do. When I returned for this season, I was a different chef. I was different in the New York part because when I came back to the finale and I was in the top five, I knew I had a shot to win it all without question.

Why did you choose to be the bad boy among the chefs?
That's the stupid side of me. My mouth has definitely gotten me into trouble my whole life. I'm a New Jersey Italian from a broken family and I had to fight all my life to get where I am. Sometime that side still shows up in the things I say. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but unfortunately, sometimes I am. Then I'm apologizing afterwards. But I just speak the truth. It is what it is. At the end of the day, I related with almost everyone on the show.

What was it like when you found out you and Antonia were distant cousins?
Me and Antonia probably didn't get along the most of anyone during the season. We really got on each other's nerves. When we found out, all that went away. I was actually excited for her and happy for her. She was a tough competitor. That was a great thing to find out. She's a great person.

How does it feel to be part of the 'Top Chef' family?
It's a great thing, and to be a finalist was great. You know, I was in the two toughest season ever of 'Top Chef,' the Vegas system and the 'All-Stars.' I feel like I did a great job. I think I'm one of the top ten, top five chefs ever on 'Top Chef.' It's a huge thing to be a part of.