Erales beat fellow contestants Dawn Burrell and Shota Nakajima on the July 1 season finale
In December, he had been fired from his job as executive chef at Mexican restaurant Comedor in Austin, Texas
He was let go over inappropriate behavior and for violating policies relating to a sexual relationship with an employee
Production on Top Chef was completed in October and there are no allegations of impropriety against Erales during filming
Lakshmi tweeted: 'As someone who has been sexually harassed, this topic is a serious one and merits openness'