'Top Chef' Stephanie Izard's Cookbook Arrives

You are now officially one step closer to cooking like Top Chef Stephanie Izard. The diminutive Season 4 winner with the beaming smile published her first cookbook -- Girl in the Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats, and Drinks -- this week.

Stephanie used her prize money to become the chef-owner of the acclaimed Girl & the Goat Restaurant in Chicago, which Saveur magazine named "America's Best New Restaurant." She's scaled some of her restaurant's dishes down for the home kitchen. ABC Chicago notes that she's rolled more than 100 of her best recipes into the book, adding that foodies and fans can learn how to whip up Stephanie's innovative appetizers for parties and "how to make the most of seasonal produce and local ingredients." She's also included helpful beer and wine pairings for her favorite foods. Recipes include Bacon-Braised Swiss Chard, a piquant Sweet-and-Sour Eggplant with Tomatillos, and a hearty entrée, The Never-Ending Chicago Winter Beef Stew. (You're drooling a little there,
hon.)

Stephanie celebrated her cookbook launch with a book party in The Windy City on Wednesday that also kicked off the a 16-city book tour. Stephanie's website has details on the stops, many of which involve a dinner cooked along with a local chef. Proceeds from the tour benefit Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry, an organization dedicated to wiping out childhood hunger in America. That's bound to give Stephanie even more to smile about.

Want to catch up with some other Top Chef alums? Check in on the Top Chef Healthy Showdown.