A Historic Win: Maine Chef Cara Stadler Crowned Inaugural Culinary Cup Champion

A decorated Maine chef can now add a new line to her résumé: a one-million-dollar winner.

Who Won America's Culinary Cup?

A massive congratulations to Cara Stadler, who was crowned the winner of the inaugural season of the cooking show America’s Culinary Cup, a show created by television producer and presenter Padma Lakshmi.

Stadler beat out 15 other world-class chefs to win the largest prize in food television competition history—$1 million. Oh, and she did it all while competing during her second trimester of pregnancy. Talk about a total badass.

After a long competition that saw Stadler and the other chefs take on challenges based on the “10 Culinary Commandments” presented to them (sauces, vegetables, consistency, etc.), she was one of three finalists to compete in the final showdown, which premiered on Wednesday night.

It took two more rounds of cooking before the winner was named, but Stadler’s stellar cooking carried her to the top of the culinary mountain and the win.

Cara Stadler Was One of Many Amazing Chefs Competing for America's Culinary Cup

This was one fierce competition, considering the pedigree of chefs. The competitors included Michelin-starred chefs, James Beard Award–winning and nominated chefs, culinary hall-of-famers, and even Bocuse d’Or medalists. This is like the 1927 Yankees lineup of chefs. Of course, Stadler is a six-time James Beard nominee, so she fit right in with the incredible cast.

This is a tremendous accomplishment for Stadler, who has had a highly successful career as a chef, one that has included acclaimed restaurants here in Maine, including the highly regarded Tao Yuan and one of my all-time favorites, Bao Bao Dumpling House.

According to the Bangor Daily News, Stadler had been planning to take some time away from the hospitality industry to focus on her family, and now she gets to do it with a few extra dollars in her bank account, as well as the title of the first-ever winner of the Culinary Cup.

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Congrats to Stadler. It was so much fun watching her progression during the season. She was a very impressive competitor throughout, showing consistency in her cooking while balancing comfort favorites with innovation. And to do all of that while pregnant is truly remarkable.