After four months of contestants not named Sarah Grueneberg cast by the wayside, the climactic moment of "Top Chef" came at 9:59 p.m. Central standard time. At Spiaggia, where the restaurant held a viewing party Wednesday night in their executive chef’s honor, the crowd fell silent. Outside in the foyer, the kitchen staff lined up in a row by the television, waiting to hear if their boss took the crown. You can hear a grissini drop.

"Paul," said host Padma Lakshmi accompanied by brooding music. "You are Top Chef."

With that, you could feel the room deflate.

But in the hours leading up to 9:59 p.m., the third floor of the Michigan Avenue restaurant was a lively scene, with show fans hobnobbing with ousted “Top Chef” contestants, eating crispy arincini and drinking agrumi cocktails. Other Chicago chef notables, such as Giuseppe Tentori, Kevin Hickey, Bill Kim and Yvonne Cadiz-Kim came in support. The one noticeable absentee was Grueneberg, who was in New York to appear on Bravo TV’s live aftershow. Still, there was hometown bias in this gathering.

"Sarah’s a person I clicked with instantly, and now I have a friend for life," said Moto chef Richie Farina, who competed on the show and attended the party. "I wanted to see her take it for Chicago."

(The viewing party was attended by 175 people, who donated a total of $3,200 to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.)

There was hope lingering for Grueneberg supporters when judges said this was perhaps the best Top Chef finals meal ever served on the show. It seemed like a genuine toss-up up till 9:58 p.m. But in the end, the winner was Paul Qui, of Austin, Texas, who was awarded $125,000. More important, he enters into a food celebritydom that crosses over to mainstream audiences. A whole segment of reality TV watchers, who might only have a passing interest in food, will now flock to his restaurant on name recognition. Just ask Stephanie Izard, who won "Top Chef" Season 4: Her West Loop restaurant Girl & the Goat is impossible to enter without a reservation on a Saturday night.

But second place on "Top Chef" is no consolation prize. Business at Spiaggia is up nearly 15 percent since the show began in November, said chef/partner Tony Mantuano.

Grueneberg was one of six Chicago chefs who began from a field of 29 contestants. All the competitors’ restaurants (Aria, Sable, Moto, Chilam Balam) have reported similar upticks in customers. Top Chef may be a reality competition on basic cable, but its ripples on local businesses are felt long after.

kpang@tribune.com

Twitter @kevinthepang