Aziza's Louis Maldonado Crowned the Hottest Chef in the Bay

After weeks of intense voting, Eater's first annual Hottest Chef in the Bay Area competition has come to a stirring conclusion and a winner has been ceremoniously crowned: Aziza's Louis Maldonado. In the biggest voter turnout of the entire competition by far and the closest one too, the finals were an absolute nail-biter until the polls closed at exactly noon. Really, all three of our finalists are winners, but in a more specific way, Maldonado is the winner.

Thanks to all 32 chefs—and all you voters—for playing along in this light-hearted (but totally official) contest. To look back on how the tourney went down, you can review all the action right here.
· Hottest Chef in the Bay FINAL: Darsky, Hollingsworth, Maldonado [~ESF~]