Miami Beach, FL – April 12, 2016 – After a grueling season, Matador Room Executive Chef Jeremy Ford was crowned the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef 13. To celebrate, Ford brought it back to where it all began with a blowout bash at The Miami Beach EDITION’s Basement. Chef Jeremy Ford began his career in the culinary industry at 16-years-old as Garde Manger at Matthews, a four-diamond Mediterranean style restaurant, where he cultivated the basic skill of mincing vegetables. A year later, he packed up and moved to Los Angeles to work at the world-renowned restaurant L’Orangerie under the helm of Executive Chef Christophe Eme. Not speaking a word of French in an all-French kitchen proved an asset as he absorbed skills by watching how the culinary team handled the fine ingredients and filleted their fish with care. He later moved on to work with Master Chef Joachim Splichal at Patina. Currently, Jeremy Ford presides in an esteemed position at Miami Beach’s EDITION Hotel, as Chef de Cuisine of Matador Room by Michelin-star celebrity chef, Jean- Georges Vongerichten.

World Red Eye snagged a moment with the winner, who gave us an inside scoop into the fierce competition, as well as some dishes he enjoys himself and more about his culinary world.

WRE: Tell us about your experience on Bravo’s Top Chef?

JF: Winning Top Chef was probably the greatest achievement in my life, but also the hardest.

WRE: How did it feel to be crowned the winner?

JF: I was shocked as the competition was so difficult, but honestly there was never a point that I actually thought I had it in the bag.

Winning Top Chef was probably the greatest achievement in my life, but also the hardest.

Chef Jeremy Ford

WRE: What was the hardest part about being on the show?

JF: Personally, being away from daughter Maddy. Professionally, the most difficult challenge and hardest day of my life was restaurant wars. After watching past seasons and seeing how hard one meal service was on Top Chef, the idea of executing two meal periods was daunting. It was incredibly difficult to organize two meals with only a 30 minute period to reset our whole line.

WRE: Who was the toughest judge to impress? Why?

JF: Tom Colicchio, because he sees all the smallest details and mistakes in your food.

WRE: Who did you think was your biggest competitor on the show? Why?

JF: Carl Dooley, because his food was always very clean and precise – just because he didn’t win challenges doesn’t mean he wasn’t a threat.

WRE: Tell us about the dishes you create for Miami Beach EDITION’s Matador Room? What inspires them?

JF: We have an a la carte menu that stays the same, with a few seasonal changes. In addition to that, we have a seasonal menu insert where we feature everything that has to do with the inspiration from the time of year.

WRE: How have your Floridian roots influenced you in the culinary world?

JF: In Florida there is a sense of freshness because of all the tropical fruits and local greens, which I love to use in my cooking.

WRE: If you were allowed one last meal, what would it be?

JF: Thanksgiving dinner.

WRE: How do you manage to keep up with food trends?

JF: I try to eat out when I can, I like to see what other chefs are doing.

WRE: Other than your own restaurants, where are some of your favorite places to go and eat?

JF: Pubbelly, Alter, Talde and Sugarcane.

WRE: What is your favorite ingredient to work with and why?

JF: Vinegar because I like how it changes the complexity of a dish and makes it pop.