After nine weeks, the field of 24 chefs was down to three on Bravo's Top Chef Masters -- Hubert Keller, Michael Chiarello and Rick Bayless. Missed a few episodes? Meet the competitors:

Renowned French chef Hubert Keller is co-owner of Fleur de Lys Restaurant in San Francisco and Las Vegas as well as Burger Bar in Vegas and St. Louis. (And he certainly wins points for best hair on my scorecard!)

Michael Chiarello is chef and owner of Bottega Restaurant in Napa Valley, but is probably best known by food show fans as the host of Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, which aired on the Food Network.

As Michael said in this episode, Rick Bayless is the "respected professor of Mexican cookery," with Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago. Recently, he opened Frontera Fresco in Chicago and California.

I've been rooting for audience fave Rick from the start, but Hubert was very close to stealing my foodie heart. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a French accent.

The Challenge
For the final cook-off, the competitors were asked to create the meal of their lifetimes, literally. The four courses were meant to represent their careers as chefs (first food memories, the dishes that made them decide to be chefs, their first restaurants and their food futures). With the help of sous chefs from their respective restaurants, the guys got to work.

Menu Highlights
Michael drew from his Italian background and Calabrese roots for his meal. His second course, Polenta with Rabbit, Asparagus and Wild Mushroom, Grilled Duck & Rabbit Liver, got high praise from Gail Simmons, a regular Top Chef judge, saying she wanted to bathe in it!

For his final course, Wagyū Beef Cheeks and Celery Purée with Pinot Noir, Lemongrass and Ginger Sauce, Hubert adapted his classic French style to budget-conscious modern times. With a movement towards more affordable cuisine due to the recession, the chef chooses to use beef cheeks instead of filet mignon. But Rick took Hubert to task for his liberal use of truffles in his other dishes. As he pointed out, "you can shave truffles over a dish and call it special, but it's not; it's just expensive." Uh-oh, is Rick trash talking the Frenchman?

Like the other two chefs, Rick grew up in a cooking household. His father was the pit master at the family's BBQ restaurant. But it was his traditional Mexican mastery that really impressed the judges. The 27-ingredient Oaxaca Black Mole in his Ahi Tuna dish received the best lip-smacking kudos when critic Jay Rayner said he lost his mole virginity to the chef. Holy mole indeed! Although he couldn't get enough of Rick's sauce, verbose Brit Rayner compared the chef's final course, Arroz a la Tumbada, Tomato-Jalapeňo Broth, Chorizo "Air", to "an elderly granny at a family wedding putting on spandex hot pants." Um, I guess that means it was no good.

Viva Mehico!
In spite of that comical criticism, Rick was awarded the title of Top Chef Master by a narrow margin. (He scored 18 stars beating out Michael and Hubert, with 17 and 16 1/2 respectively.) His prize: $100,000 for his charity, Frontera Farmer Foundation, which supports local farmers. Now, where can I get my hands on some of that mole? Let me know! Or share your thoughts on the show. Did your fave chef win?

-- Michele

photos: kelsey mcneal/bravo