Joe Flamm Reveals What He's Going to Do with His Top Chef Prize Money
The Top Chef Season 15 winner has his sights set on a major purchase.
Joe Flamm teased some Windy City-sized plans for celebrating his Top Chef win earlier this month. "We're about to celebrate it, about to burn down Chicago Thursday," Joe previously joked to The Daily Dish. "Think Philadelphia post-Super Bowl."
And he wasn't kidding. Joe celebrated his win with friends and family at Spiaggia, the Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant where he serves as executive chef. Revelers included Joe's wife Hillary, his grandmother Mary Roche, who Top Chef fans met earlier this season, his mentor Tony Mantuano, his former boss and Top Chef Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard, and his fellow Cheftestants Joe Sasto, Bruce Kalman, Tyler Anderson, and Brother Luck.
Tyler, Joe Sasto, and Bruce came out to support their fellow "Bear," Joe Flamm. Photo: Matthew Reeves
Joe's grandmother Mary was also there to celebrate his big day. Photo: Matthew Reeves
This photo of Joe with his mentor Tony Mantuano is too cute. Photo: Matthew Reeves
It looks like Joe has found a fellow "Top Chef" in a Teddy bear decked out in a Chicago White Sox uniform. Photo: Matthew Reeves
Joe gets a big congrats from his wife, Hillary. Photo: Matthew Reeves
Now that Joe's reign as Top Chef champion has officially begun, he said he's trying to figure out his next move. "Since the end of the season, just getting back to Spiaggia and just working on my team there, working on the food there, and trying to figure out what my next move is, what's gonna be the next thing in my adventure, whether it's gonna be my own restaurant or whatever," he recently told The Daily Dish. "I'm just trying to build that out and trying to enjoy the wave that is Top Chef. It's just crazy. It's been an amazing ride."
Joe spoke about the possibility of one day opening up his own restaurant during this season of Top Chef, a dream that he is still keeping alive today. Joe said that right now, he thinks he'd stick with his signature style of Italian cuisine if he were to go out on his own one day. "I love Roman food. I think Roman food specifically is so underplayed and so perfect and beautiful and simple, so maybe something in that realm," he said. "I'm not totally sure. I feel like I always have, like, 15 ideas in my head that I really like and shuffle around what goes to the No. 1 spot from day-to-day or week-to-week. It's hard. I feel like when I get to that point, and I see a space in the neighborhood, it'll evolve more."
He's got some big plans for his $125,000 grand prize, too. "I'm hoping — I've been married for almost three years now — to be able to maybe buy a house, set down some roots a little bit," Joe shared.
But Joe will never, ever leave his home. "I'll stay in Chicago forever," he gushed. "I'm never leaving."
Relive Joe's winning moment in Colorado, below.
