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The Next Level Chef is set to return with another season this week. The upcoming season will feature three mentors, including Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais, as they each have a team of their own.
Fox’s press release reads:
"Gordon Ramsay Returns as a Mentor, Alongside Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais - Each Hoping a Member from their Team Wins the Coveted $250,000 Grand Prize, a One-Year Mentorship from all Three Mentors and the Title of NEXT LEVEL CHEF."
In season 1, social media chef Stephanie Pyet DeSpain won and walked away with the $250,000 grand prize and the year-long mentorship.
Tune in on Sunday, February 12, at 9 pm ET to see who is in the race to carry forward her legacy in Next Level Chef season 2.
Meet Next Level Chef season 1 winner Pyet DeSpain ahead of the season 2 premiere
The chef, storyteller, and winner of Next Level Chef season 1 chose to highlight her cultural and indigenous ingredients while on the show instead of traditional and classical dishes.
The award-winning private chef who appeared on the Fox show was named the Top 25 best private chefs in Los Angeles by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2021.
When Pyet was younger, she would help around the kitchen, which ignited her love for spices and food. The Next Level Chef season 1 winner is a graduate of a culinary school and has certification in Wellness and Nutrition. She started Pyet’s Plate, the private chef business that promotes healthy eating, wellness, and quality food in 2015.
Her website states:
"Her focus now is to promote Indigenous ingredients in every day cooking, while doing so hopes to encourage others to pass along healthy cooking, lifestyle choices and traditions within their own families."
In March 2022, Pyet spoke to Mashed about her experience on the Fox show. She claimed that while working at Next Level Chef, she hated using the most modern equipment while cooking at the highest level. She admitted that it was her least favorite throughout the conversation because she thought "it was so hyped up."
She added:
"There was a lot of pressure being on the top floor and you have all of these things around you that you're not used to and you feel the pressure to use them."
While on the show, Pyet concluded that although the top level had incredible equipment, no one used it because the stakes were so high. She continued by saying that when someone is in that zone, they do what they are good at and don't typically work with those things.
She further said:
"You go with your day-to-day ability to cook things."
The chef felt most at home on the middle level. She added that she had previously worked in kitchens that were similar to the middle level of Next Level Chef and that there was a sense of comfort while working there.
The cooking show is set to premiere season 2 this week, competing for the title are Cassie Yeung, Mark McMillian, Michelle Calcagni, Preston Nguyen, Tucker Ricchio, Vincent "Vinny" Alia, Alex Morizio, April Clayton, Nuri Muhammad, Omallys "Omi" Hopper, Pilar Omega, Shay Spence, Christopher Spinosa, Darryl Taylor, Kamahlai Stewart, Matt Groark, Mehreen Karim, and Tineke Younger.
Tune in on Sunday, February 12 as the show debuts, followed by on Thursday, February 16 at 8 pm ET on Fox for its time-period premiere.
