Phillip Lopez is New Orleans' Hottest Chef

Wow. After two weeks and a ridiculous number of votes, we've finally found out who can claim the title of the Hottest Chef in New Orleans. Our winner, rising above his sexytime rivals and claiming 55% of the vote in the final round, is Phillip Lopez, chef and owner at Root. This afternoon, we'll be visiting Chef Lopez to grab a shiny new photo of him to use for Eater National's competition to find the Hottest Chef in America.

The national competition starts Tuesday. Yes, that's Mardi Gras, so we'll be starting out at a slight disadvantage and really will need to rally behind Chef Lopez in order to prove to the country that New Orleans has the sexiest chef around. Congratulations to Phillip Lopez and to all the chefs who were nominated!