Hell's Kitchen Winners: Where Are They Now?

The 12th season of Hell’s Kitchen is wrapping up, and with it, the curiosity of where the past Hell’s Kitchen winners are now. How many chefs actually received the prizes they were promised? How many of them went on to become successful chefs in the culinary world? Do any of the winners still have a chip on their shoulder from their experiences at Fox TV's Hell's Kitchen? 

Read on to see how the winners of the first 11 seasons of Hell’s Kitchen are doing! 

The first ever winner of Hell’s Kitchen, Season 1, was Michael Wray.  When he first won he chose to travel to London to train under Chef Gordon Ramsay, then later decided to focus on his family and stayed to be head-chef in some prominent Los Angeles restaurants, like The Standard. Since then, not only has he started his own custom knives company called Skull and Cleavers, but he also tried to open his own restaurant in Arizona called HK1. Sadly however, it never materialized due to lack of funds. Last we heard, Chef Michael Wray is residing in Arizona and teaches cooking at an Arizona college.

Heather West was the winner for Hell’s Kitchen Season 2. For her prize, she was to become Executive Chef at Terra Rossa, an Italian restaurant at Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas. However, Heather only became Senior Chef for one year. She then went on to become Head Chef in a restaurant called Monterey Restaurant in Long Beach, New York. Having made a name for herself in the greater New York area at upscale eateries like Ciao Baby in Commack and Massapequa Park, and Thatched Cottage in Centerport, Heather is now the Executive Chef at Schafer’s in Port Jefferson, NY.

Rahaman“Rock” Harper was the Season 3 winner. He enjoyed his prize as the Head Chef at Terra Verde at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, NV. After his one-year contract was complete, he then went on to work in restaurants throughout Washington, DC before finding the perfect fit as the Director of Kitchen Operations for D.C. Central Kitchen, a non-profit that feeds, educates and strives to save thousands from chronic homelessness, poverty and crime. He and business partner Aaron Gordon opened fatShorty’s in a D.C. suburb, it closed its doors in October 2013. Guess we’ll have to wait and see what Chef Harper has in store for us next!

Christina Machamer won Hell’s Kitchen Season 4, and the chance to become Executive Chef at the Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the London West Hollywood Hotel. Instead, she was given the position of Senior Chef under Executive Chef Andy Cook. She then took some time off to study wine and viticulture at The Culinary Institute at Greystone in Napa Valley. Today she works at B Cellars, helping to create wines that go well with food as well as helping around the winery and interacting with guests.

Danny Veltri won Season 5 of Hell's Kitchen and became Sous Chef under Stephen Kalt at Fornelletto at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He later created a catering company called Back From Hell Catering, poking fun at his experience in "Hell's Kitchen.” Soon after, he partnered with a group of investors to create Gnarly Surf Bar & Grill near the Intracoastal Waterway in Central Florida, where he was Head Chef. Today, Chef Veltri is helping Chef Erik Amalfitano and management at Flip Flops establish a new menu.

Dave Levey won Hell's Kitchen Season 6, and the prize of Head Chef at Araxi Restaurant and Bar in Whistler, British Columbia. Unsatisfied with his role in the kitchen, he left the position shortly after the end of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Currently, he is in Nashville helping his sister with her music career.

Holli Ugalde won Hell's Kitchen Season 7, which was supposed to follow with the position as Executive Chef at The Savoy in London. However, she could not granted a visa to work in the U.K. Ugalde called that explanation an excuse, saying, "I don't know if they even applied for my visa." Instead of the The Savoy, Ugalde accepted an undisclosed amount of cash. She worked as the Signature Chef of a new restaurant in B Ocean Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida – B’stro on the Beach. She now lives in Beaumont, California & enjoys cooking for her family. 
** SIDE NOTE: It looks like Holli has left her website and social media accounts in the past with her restaurant career. We tried to visit her website, but found it had been hacked and implanted with a virus. If you're dumb enough to check it out anyway, here's some friendly advice - do not click on the warning popup. Clicking on that will actually infect your computer. Just do a force-shutdown of your computer or device and never visit that site again. 

Nona Sivley won Hell's Kitchen Season 8, along with the prize position as Head Chef at LA Market at JW Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles, and the opportunity to be a spokesperson for Rosemount Estate Wines. After returning to work at LA Market as Chef de Cuisine with Celebrity chef Kerry Simon, the two opened a new venture, Pork & Beans, in the Las Vegas Container Park in November 2013. It had only a short run before shuttering in April. Nona now presides as the Executive Chef at Vine and Tap, a gastropub and wine bar in Atlanta.

Paul Niedermann won Hell’s Kitchen Season 9, which was supposed to be a prize of head chef at BLT Steak in NYC. While is he currently in the kitchen at BLT Steak, he is actually working under Chef Cliff Crooks, a Season 2 Contestant of Bravo’s Top Chef. We can’t wait to see what comes of this talented pairing….

ChristinaWilson won Hell’s Kitchen Season 10 and took on the role of Head Chef of Las Vegas-based Gordon Ramsay’s Steak Restaurant at Paris Hotel & Casino. After a very successful year at Gordon Ramsay’s Steak, she has continued her partnership with Chef Ramsay as the Executive Chef at BurGR in Planet Hollywood Casino. She returned for a guest appearance on Hell’s Kitchen season 11.

Ja’Nell Witt earned the title of Season 11 winner and the prize of Executive Chef at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, however lost the offer after failing a drug test.  Chef Ramsay has offered his support to Ja’Nell, and still awarded her a cash prize for the win on Hell’s Kitchen. In June, she was named the Executive Chef at Corner Table, a new American restaurant in Houston.

By the way, did anyone else notice the apparent trend that either HK winners do not get their prize, or get the title of the prize/but not the responsibility, or the winner leaves their position as soon as their contract is fulfilled? It almost seems pointless to go through all the pain and suffering that we witness season after season. However, every winner seems to say the same thing about the show… it is the BEST experience of their lives!

Hell’s Kitchen Winners: Where are they now?

THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED On the following Page (JULY 21, 2014) >> http://foodiegossip.blogspot.com/2014/07/hells-kitchen-winners-where-are-they-now.html

With the season 11 finale of Fox TV’s Hell’s Kitchen right around the corner, we want to take a moment look back at the HK winners from the past 10 seasons and share where the winners have been and where they are now.

Have they thrived since their glory? Or have they faded and dulled like an old table cloth? Let's take a look:

The first ever winner of Hell’s Kitchen, Season 1, was Michael Wray.  When he first won he chose to travel to London to train under Chef Gordon Ramsay, then later decided to focus on his family and stayed to be head-chef in some prominent Los Angeles restaurants, such as The Standard. Since then, not only has he started his own custom knives company called Skull and Cleavers, but he also tried to open his own restaurant in Arizona called HK1. Sadly however, it never materialized due to lack of funds. It is rumored that he is now in Arizona teaching cooking classes at an Arizona college.

Heather West was the winner for Hell’s Kitchen Season 2. For her prize, she was to become Executive Chef at Terra Rossa, an Italian restaurant at Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas. However, Heather only became Senior Chef for one year. She then went on to become head chef in a restaurant called Monterey Restaurant in Long Beach, New York. Today she works as the executive chef at Ciao Baby in Commack and Massapequa Park, where she was executive chef for over a year. Today, Heather is now chef at Thatched Cottage, a catering venue in Centerport.

Rahaman “Rock” Harper won Hell’s Kitchen Season 3. His prize was to become the Head Chef at Terra Verde at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson. After his one-year contract was complete, he then went on to work in restaurants throughout Washington, DC. He then found the perfect job for him at the time, director of kitchen operations for D.C. Central Kitchen, a non-profit that feeds, educates and strives to save thousands from chronic homelessness, poverty and crime. He has also just opened a new restaurant called fatShorty’s, which strives to serve some of the best sausage, mussels and cold beer to its customers.

Christina Machamer won Hell’s Kitchen Season 4, and the prize was to become Executive Chef at the Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the London West Hollywood Hotel. Instead, she was given the position of Senior Chef under Executive Chef Andy Cook. She then took some time off to study wine and viticulture at The Culinary Institute at Greystone in Napa Valley. Today she works at B Cellars, helping to create wines that go well with food as well as helping around the winery and interacting with guests.

Danny Veltri won Season 5 of Hell's Kitchen. He became Sous Chef under Stephen Kalt at Fornelletto at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Originally, he was supposed to be the Head Chef at another restaurant built at the Casino. When he didn’t become Head Chef, Danny quit and began consulting. He then created a catering company called Back From Hell Catering, poking at his experience in "Hell's Kitchen.” He then joined with a group of investors that wanted to create a surf bar with food. He was Chef of the Gnarly Surf Bar & Grill near the Intracoastal Waterway in Central Florida for a period of time. Today, Chef Veltri is helping Chef Erik Amalfitano and management at Flip Flops establish a new menu.

Dave Levey won Hell's Kitchen Season 6, and the prize of Head Chef at Araxi Restaurant and Bar in Whistler, British Columbia. However, as we mentioned earlier, he was treated like a line-cook. He worked at Araxi Restaurant until the end of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Currently, he is in Nashville helping his sister with her music career.

Holli Ugalde won Hell's Kitchen Season 7, which was supposed to follow with the position as Executive Chef at The Savoy in London. However, she could not get a visa to work in the UK. Ugalde called that explanation an excuse, saying, "I don't know if they even applied for my visa." Ugalde accepted an undisclosed amount of cash instead. She had a job as the Signature Chef of a new restaurant in B Ocean Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida called B’stro on the beach. She now lives in southern California and has a signature line of cookware that she has been promoting on her website.

Nona Sivley won Hell's Kitchen Season 8, along with the prize position as Head Chef at LA Market at JW Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles as well as the opportunity to be a spokesperson for Rosemount Estate Wines. She is now working as Chef de Cuisine at LA Market with Celebrity chef Kerry Simon.

Paul Niedermann won Hell’s Kitchen Season 9, which was supposed to be a prize of head chef at BLT Steak in NYC. Instead he will now be working under chef Cliff Crooks, a season two contestant of Top Chef.

Christina Wilson won Hell’s Kitchen Season 10 and she is now the head chef of Las Vegas-based Gordon Ramsay’s Steak Restaurant at Paris, working under Kevin Hee. She also came back for a guest appearance on Hell’s Kitchen season 11.

It seems there is a serious trend that either HK winners do not get their prize, get the title of the prize, but not the responsibility, or the winner leaves their position as soon as their contract is fulfilled. It almost seems pointless to go through all the pain and suffering that we witness season after season. However, every winner seems to say the same thing about the show… it is the BEST experience of their lives!

Hell’s Kitchen Winners: Where Are They Now?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED (JULY 21, 2014). >> http://foodiegossip.blogspot.com/2014/07/hells-kitchen-winners-where-are-they-now.html


With the end of the 9th season of Hell’s Kitchen, it seems appropriate to follow the previous winners of Hell’s Kitchen and catch up with their successes… or lack thereof. How many chefs actually received the prizes they were promised? How many of them went on to become successful chefs in the culinary world? Do any of the winners still have a chip on their shoulder from their experiences at Fox TV's Hell's Kitchen?

With no further ado, the winners of the first 8 seasons of Hell’s Kitchen!

The winner of Hell’s KitchenSeason 1 was Michael Wray. Chef Gordon Ramsay offered Wray the choice  of opening a restaurant, or going to London and to learn under Chef Ramsay. Michael chose to learn under Chef Ramsay. Michael later changed his mind before going on the trip because he thought the experience would be too stressful for his family. Now he works as the Executive Head Chef at The Standard in Los Angeles, California. He also owns his own custom chef's knives company called, appropriately, Skull and Cleavers.

Heather West was the winner of Hell's Kitchen Season 2. For the prize, she was to become Executive Chef at an Italian restaurant called Terra Rossa at Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas. However, Heather only became Senior Chef. She now works as head chef in a restaurant called Monterey Restaurant in Long Beach, New York. 

Rahman "Rock" Harper won Hell's Kitchen Season 3. His prize was to become the Head Chef at Terra Verde at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson. He fulfilled his contract as Head Chef for one year. Rahman later worked in restaurants throughout Washington, DC. Rahman joined the staff of a DC restaurant called Next Door in 2008. He supported and helped in the March of Dimes Signature Chef’s Auction in Louisville, Kentucky on November 11th, 2010.

Christina Machamer won Hell's Kitchen Season 4, and the prize to become Executive Chef at the Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood Hotel. Instead, she was given the position of Senior Chef under Executive Chef Andy Cook. She then took some time off to study wine and viticulture at The Culinary Institute at Greystone in Napa Valley. Currently, she is a member of the opening team at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills.

Danny Veltri won Season 5 of Hell's Kitchen. He became Sous Chef under Stephen Kalt at Fornelletto at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Originally, he was supposed to be the Head Chef at another restaurant built at the Casino. When he didn’t become Head Chef, Danny quit and began consulting. He then created a catering company called Back From Hell Catering, poking at his experience in "Hell's Kitchen.” He then joined with a group of investors that wanted to create a surf bar with food. He is now Chef of the Gnarly Surf Bar & Grill near the Intracoastal Waterway in Central Florida. 

Dave Levey won Hell's Kitchen Season 6, and the prize of Head Chef at Araxi Restaurant and Bar in Whistler, British Columbia. However, as we mentioned earlier, he was treated like a line-cook. He worked at Araxi Restaurant until the end of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Currently, he is in Nashville helping his sister with her music career.

Holli Ugalde won Hell's Kitchen Season 7, which was supposed to follow with the position as Executive Chef at The Savoy in London. However, she could not get a visa to work in the UK. Ugalde called that explanation an excuse, saying, "I don't know if they even applied for my visa." Ugalde accepted an undisclosed amount of cash instead. She now has a job as the Signature Chef of a new restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida called B Ocean.

Nona Sivley won Hell's Kitchen Season 8, along with the prize position as Head Chef at LA Market at JW Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles as well as the opportunity to be a spokesperson for Rosemount Estate Wines. She is now working as Chef de Cuisine at LA Market with Celebrity chef Kerry Simon.

It seems there is a serious trend that either HK winners do not get their prize, get the title of the prize, but not the responsibility, or they leave their position as soon as their contract is fulfilled. It almost seems pointless to go through all the pain and suffering that we witness season after season. However, every winner seems to say the same thing about the show… it is the BEST experience of their lives!

Hell’s Kitchen: A Hell of an Embarrassment

Holli Ugalde isn’t standing alone in Purgatory. Other Hell’s Kitchen winners have gotten the short end of the stick instead of the high-profiled prize they thought they had won.

Last Friday, we posted an article on Hell’s Kitchen’s lack of follow through on the prize they publicly committed to for season 7: Executive Chef of The Savoy in London. Gordon Ramsay submitted a statement stating that Holli Ugalde’s visa had been rejected. But Ramsay and show producers have not been forthcoming with the reason for the rejection of Ugalde’s alleged visa application submission (when submitting an application for a visa, the person the visa is for has to sign the paper work themselves. Ugalde claims she never received any visa documents.)

Whatever our personal feelings are about whether each contestant was worthy of the prize they were competing for isn’t a factor. Gordon Ramsay and the Producers get to make that decision and had decided that the winning contestants were worthy.

** The issue at hand is that Ramsay and the Hell’s Kitchen producers publicly announced a Prize at the beginning of each episode and failed to deliver on 6 out of 7 seasons. And, aside from the cash bonus some of them received, the restaurant positions that were actually handed out weren’t much of a step up from where the winners were prior to competing.

Here’s a recap on the winners and their prize-status by season:

Season one, Michael Wray
- Promised Prize: The winner’s very own restaurant
- Did he get it? No, but it was his choice.


Season two, Heather West
- Promised Prize: Multi-million dollar restaurant in the billion dollar Red Rock resort in Las Vegas
- Did she get it? No. Heather was named senior chef (not executive chef, as was promised)


Season three, Rahman "Rock" Harper- Promised Prize: The winner will run a Multi-million dollar restaurant in the Green Valley Ranch Resort
- Did he get it? Yes – and he fulfilled his contract.

Season four, Christina Machamer- Promised Prize: The executive chef for Ramsay’s own restaurant, London West Hollywood in Los Angeles w/a salary of $250k

- Did she get it? No. But she got part of it. Christina was installed as a "senior sous chef" (not executive chef, as was promised in show-related publicity and press releases throughout the season) with a $250,000 salary.

Season five, Danny Veltri- Promised Prize: Head chef at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City
- Did he get it? No. Veltri was employed as a sous chef under Stephen Kalt at Italian restaurant Fornelletto at the Borgata. However, they at least gave him a cash prize of $250k.


Season six, Dave Levey
- Promised Prize: Head Chef at Araxi Restaurant and Bar in Whistler, British Columbia
- Did he get it? No. He got the title “Head Chef”, but was treated like a line-cook, working under Executive Chef James Walt. This is a step down from the Executive Chef title he held prior to competing in Hell’s Kitchen. According to sources, Levey resigned from Araxi just a few weeks after.

Season seven, Holli Ugalde

- Promised Prize: Executive Chef at The Savoy in London

- Did she get it? We wouldn’t be writing this article if she had… They did give her a cash prize of an undisclosed amount. Unrelated, Ugalde has been recruited by B Ocean Fort Lauderdale to be their Signature Chef for the new restaurant they’re opening.

What we’re trying to figure out is the following: Why publicly commit to a prize and then reneg when it’s time to hand that prize over? Does integrity mean nothing to these people? Why not just offer a cash prize and some sort of bonus? Bravo TV’s Top Chef does this and it’s worked out spectacularly for them.

I don’t know about you, but I think Gordon Ramsay and the producers of Hell’s Kitchen should feel nothing but embarrassment and humiliation for their actions. If you can't live up to public promises, you shouldn't be running a reality TV show. Ramsay, take off your jacket and go.

It looks like Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares isn’t just about the restaurant anymore. According to The Daily Mirror, the Kitchen Nightmares’ star and executive producer has added a number of irrelevant questions to the Kitchen Nightmares contestant application. How much a contestant weighs, as well as their height, eye and hair color are just a few of the questions that have been added. But my favorites of all of them are these:

• Have you ever had a restraining order filed against you?
• Does your family have a history of depression?
• Are you easily upset?

Actually, the one regarding a history of depression seems to be fair.

A friend of mine had filled out an application for Chef Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen (as a joke) and told me that they had similar questions on the application he filled out, which he thought was strange. Considering that Kitchen Nightmare’s is supposed to be focused on the restaurants and not the contestants, asking such personal questions doesn’t seem right.

Moreover, Chef Gordon Ramsay should be focused more on cleaning up his muddied image instead of adding to his laundry list of drama and evil doings.

Are those questions even legal? But then again, does he really care?

More on Gordon Ramsay and Hell's Kitchen:

New! Hell’s Kitchen Winners: Where Are They Now? (09/20/2011)
New! Hell’s Kitchen Season 9 Finale Recap: “4 chefs compete; One Winner Chosen.”
Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares: ISO Hot Restaurateurs

Gordon Ramsay Sued for $2 Million

The Sharks that Gordon Ramsay Killed: The Movie (warning: video contains graphic violence)

Gordon Ramsay Tossed to the Sharks (Warning: Contains graphic photo)

Kitchen Nightmare's Gordon Ramsay Explains His Puffy Face

Gordon Ramsay: Shark Bait is Worth the Watch

Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay Should Be Shark Bait

Hell’s Kitchen Winner, Holli Ugalde, Rejected By Gordon Ramsay Again? Media Claims Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Head is Melting…
Gordon Ramsay Became ‘Shark Bait’ after being Held at Gun-Point
Gordon Ramsay may Melt in Hell’s Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay's Cookbook May Be Fatty, But Fatty Ain't Bad

Atlanta Chef, Nona Sivley is the winner of Hell’s Kitchen Season 8!

The Savoy Grill May Be Gordon Ramsay’s Saving Grace

Gordon Ramsay: There’s Serious Hell in His Kitchen

Hell’s Kitchen: A Hell of an Embarrassment

Hell’s Kitchen: A Hell of a Let Down

A Real Kitchen Nightmare... For Gordon Ramsay