This time felt different for Tournament of Champions VI winner Antonia Lofaso. She didn't know she was going to win it all — in fact, she wasn't planning to compete again — but a calm she hadn't been able to find during the first five seasons of TOC had descended upon her. "I always felt like a fierce competitor, but my focus was stronger. I felt stronger," she says. You could say this season's win was fated for the Los Angeles-based chef, who told host Guy Fieri several times that she would not be joining for Season 6 after losing to Maneet Chauhan in the Season 5 finale. But Guy held out and, at the last minute, Antonia couldn't resist hopping back into the competition. Ahead, she sits down with Food Network to discuss what being a TOC champion means to her.

ANTONIA: I should get a trophy just for that [laughs]. I was overcome with a ton of emotion. The entire journey was so long. Getting so close Season 1; doing well Season 2. Seasons 3 and 4, I fell off to the point where I thought I was never even going to compete again … I thought, "I'm too old for this and I've lost my touch." Then, Season 5, coming in and destroying. So, to have this happen for Season 6 … there's no words to describe it, truthfully. It was the accomplishment I needed. This idea of not winning TOC and knowing all the people who won that I'm with all the time: Brooke [Williamson], Mei [Lin], Maneet and Tiffani [Faison]. I make a joke throughout the season where I'm like, "Those are my people. I'm with them, yet I'm not with them. I'm the only one who hasn't won TOC."

(Pictured: Antonia in TOC I.)

ANTONIA: Britt is a fierce competitor. She's young. She's hungry. I know how much she wanted it. There was part of me [thinking], "Listen youngin, it'll come to you. Don't worry. You'll get it." But part of me was also sad because I know what it means to the other person. Even last year when I beat Jet [Tila], I was overtaken with emotion. I said [to Jet], "I'm so sorry" — it just came out. Guy was like, "Did you just apologize?" It's because we're all in this thing together. We're in these trailers together. We're confined to these areas for two weeks. You're watching your friends get picked off one by one. It goes from 32 people to one person, so there is a moment of sympathy, because I've been there before. I know what it feels like to get there and not make it.

ANTONIA: The win for TOC comes when preparation meets opportunity. My entire career has been preparation. That's why the more seasoned chefs make it as far as they do. Your repertoire of food knowledge and combinations and ability to think out of the box and create things out of nothing — that only comes from experience. Some chefs have flash cards and make combinations and practice those combinations … You end up trying to fit your idea into the randomizer instead of just letting the randomizer tell you what to cook. This time around, I had a lot of conversations with Alex Guarnaschelli before I left. [Alex] said, "Antonia, everyone roots for you ... win or lose." Bobby [Flay] said the same thing. He goes, "It doesn't matter." So, I went in with a different mindset … where it wasn't just about what I was making. I set very clear intentions so my mind was just right, and that came with understanding why I came back. And also, are you ready for this? I played a lot of golf. It's very meditative. Kevin [Lee] and I went to a golf tournament in the middle of filming [on our days off]. It put me in a position to focus on myself and the task at hand. Like [when] you just hit the ball and think of nothing else: Cook and think of nothing else. And I did better. I felt better doing it. There's so many people coming at you, and so many people who handle nerves in different ways, and it bleeds onto you. To be in a room with 32 people who are losing their minds is really the hardest part.