Antonia Lofaso Biography: Age, Net Worth, Height, Daughter, Restaurants, Top Chef, Awards, Books

Antonia Lofaso is an American chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality who first garnered major attention in 2008 as a finalist on Bravo’s Top Chef: Chicago.

Known for her tough yet nurturing judging presence on Food Network, she later became a regular on shows such as Cutthroat Kitchen and Guy’s Grocery Games, where she was affectionately nicknamed the “Warrior Princess” by Guy Fieri.

Profile

• Full name: Antonia Marie Lofaso
• Nickname: Warrior Princess
• Date of birth: November 23, 1976
• Age: 49 years old
• Gender: Female
• Place of birth: Long Island, New York, U.S.
• State of origin: New York (raised in California from age 8)
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Chef; restaurateur; television personality; author
• Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
• Eye color: Brown
• Hair color: Brown
• Parents: N/A
• Siblings: At least one brother
• Spouse: N/A
• Children: Xea Myers (daughter)
• Relationship status: Single; formerly in a long‑term relationship with rapper Heavy D (deceased)
• Religion: Christian
• Ethnicity: Sicilian Italian and Jewish heritage
• Net worth: US $5 million

Early Life and Education

Antonia Marie Lofaso is now 49 years old and was born on November 23, 1976, in Long Island, New York.

When she was eight, she moved with her family to the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles.

She comes from a mixed Sicilian Italian and Jewish background.

The name of her parents is not public, but she has at least one brother.

She trained in culinary arts at the French Culinary Institute (now International Culinary Center) in New York City, while working as a manager at Sean Combs’s restaurant Justin.

After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles and joined the kitchens at Spago and Foxtail under Wolfgang Puck and others.

Personal Life

Antonia Lofaso was in a longstanding relationship with Jamaican-American rapper Heavy D (Dwight Myers), with whom she had her daughter Xea in 2000.

They never married.

Heavy D remained active in their daughter’s life until his death in 2011, when she named Xea as a beneficiary.

Since then Lofaso has focused on raising Xea as a single mother and has not publicly disclosed other relationships.

Career

Antonia first gained national visibility on season 4 of Bravo’s Top Chef in 2008, placing fourth.

She returned in Top Chef: All‑Stars (2010–2011), finishing third, and later won a head‑to‑head episode on Top Chef Duels in 2014.

She served as a rotating judge on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen from 2013 to 2017—winning the special “Judging Judges” episode in 2016—and has been a frequent judge on Guy’s Grocery Games since its 2013 debut.

She also consulted on CNBC’s Restaurant Startup (2015–2016), appeared in Selena + Chef (2020), head‑judged The Julia Child Challenge (2022), and hosted Beachside Brawl (2022–2023), Guy’s Ultimate Game Night (2022), and co‑hosted Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition in 2025.

She competed and won Tournament of Champions Season 6 in 2025.

In parallel, Lofaso launched her Los Angeles restaurant ventures: Black Market Liquor Bar (Studio City, opened 2011), Scopa Italian Roots (Venice, opened 2013), DAMA (Downtown LA, opened 2018), plus involvement in The Local Peasant and The Chestnut Club.

She also runs a catering business and launched a chef apparel line Chefletics.

Awards

• Top Chef Season 6 duels winner (2014)
• Tournament of Champions Season 6 champion (2025)
• Cutthroat Kitchen “Judging Judges” winner (2016)

Net worth

Antonia Lofaso’s net worth is estimated at approximately US $5 million.

She has built this through her restaurants, television appearances, cookbook sales (including The Busy Mom’s Cookbook), brand collaborations, Chefletics apparel line, and catering operations.

Controversy

While Antonia Lofaso is widely respected for her culinary skill and business acumen, she has drawn criticism from some fans for her tough judging demeanor and fiery presence on competition shows.

A few commentators on Reddit described her on‑screen persona as overly harsh or self‑assured, particularly on Cutthroat Kitchen and Tournament of Champions.

However these criticisms remain a minority view and have not overshadowed her achievements.

Social Media

• Instagram: @chefantonia
• X: @antonia_lofaso
• TikTok: @chefantonia

Filmography

• Top Chef: Chicago
• Top Chef: All-Stars
• Top Chef Duels
• Beat the Chefs
• Cutthroat Kitchen
• Guy’s Grocery Games
• Restaurant Startup
• Selena + Chef
• The Bachelorette (hometown cameo)
• Tournament of Champions
• Beachside Brawl
• Guy’s Ultimate Game Night
• Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition

Books

• The Busy Mom’s Cookbook: 100 Recipes for Easy, Delicious, and Healthy Dishes