Who is Pilar Omega? Next Level Chef 2023 participant catered award shows like Emmys and Oscars

Next Level Chef is set to return for another season with Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Bais as mentors. The culinary show will feature 18 well-known chefs as they compete to create innovative dishes and win the ultimate title.

One of the contestants set to appear on the show is Pilar Omega, who has previously catered for the Emmys, Oscars, NFL events, and more. She became a private chef a year after becoming a mother in 2016 as her goals changed.

Tune in on Sunday, February 12, at 10.30 pm ET on FOX after Super Bowl LVII to watch the show.

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Next Level Chef season 2 contestant Pilar Omega launched her catering prep kitchen, Soul Fusion

The CEO and chef of Soul Fusion, Pilar Omega is set to compete in Next Level Chef season 2. She has over a decade’s worth of experience in professional kitchens and takes pride in helping people eat healthier, and live happier, and more fulfilled lives.

Her website reads:

"As a chef, she focuses her cooking on creating fresh mouthwatering foods that boost optimum health and wellbeing. With exceptional nutritional value, her meals are inspired, creative, and highly nourishing."

In an interview with Voyage Los Angeles in 2021, the chef said that she has been interested in cooking since the age of five and that food was a major part of her childhood. Her family had various culinary traditions and her father would often make a hot sauce that she loved.

The Next Level Chef contestant mentioned that she always knew she wanted to explore, cook, and taste new foods and that traveling gave her the opportunity to follow her dreams.

During her time in college, she would often conduct demonstrations about eating healthily at local fairs. This allowed her to help the community through food, and by 2011, she opened a farm-to-table deli in Redford, Michigan at the age of 27.

However, when she visited Los Angeles the following year, she was inspired to be a part of the culinary scene there and looked for employment opportunities that would enable her to make a name for herself. She was soon hired by Home Girls Cafe and also completed a sushi apprenticeship at Sushi Row. The rigorous training she received helped her become a sushi chef at Benihana in Santa Monica.

She then worked at Wolfgang Puck Catering as a sushi chef and “Grab n go lead.” During her time at the catering company, she helped cater for the Emmys, Oscars, the Governor’s Ball, NFL events, Sony studios, and more.

She left the renowned catering company and branched out to become a private chef. Before Covid hit, she worked as a full-time chef for some of the top stars in the music industry. The lockdown gave her time to focus on her branding and she eventually launched Soul Fusion, her own catering prep kitchen.

The Next Level Chef season 2 cast member opened up about the struggles she faced in the culinary world as she spoke to Voyage Los Angeles. She stated that even though being a black woman in the industry was an obstacle, she was able to create her own path because of the lack of diversity in the food industry.

She is now set to appear in Next Level Chef season 2 and compete for a year-long mentorship with a world-renowned chef and a grand prize of $250,000.