Where are 'Hell's Kitchen' Season 21 contestants now? Eighteen chefs thrive in their careers after Gordon Ramsay's cooking show ended
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Gordon Ramsay's exhilarating cooking competition show, 'Hell's Kitchen,' Season 21 premiered in 2022. In keeping with the show's iconic format, 18 fresh and young contestant chefs competed for the $250,000 prize money and a shot at bagging the Head Chef's chair at a top restaurant.
The 21st season was set up as a battle between the ages, with two of the groups being separated based on their respective age groups.
Following the conclusion of the season, fans of the show have continued to speculate about the future endeavors and outcomes of the participating chefs.
So, here are the details about each of the individual participants and their present whereabouts.
Where are the contestants of 'Hell's Kitchen' Season 21 now?
The competing chefs on 'Hell's Kitchen' Season 21 are successfully exploring their own avenues following the show's end.
Dafne Mejia
Dafne discovered her culinary passion after studying pre-med and becoming an OBGYN. She is currently based in California and works as a private chef for The Gores Group.
She too works with Alex and Alejandro at the DTLA Dinner Club, which caters to people from downtown Los Angeles.
Alejandro Najar
Alejandro is based in Barberton and works as an executive chef at The Blue Door Cafe and Bakery. He is an alumnus of the Columbia Culinary Arts Institute and invests his time in the DTLA Dinner Club with Alex and Dafne.
Alex Belew
Alex emerged as the winner of 'Hell's Kitchen' Season 21. Before joining the cooking competition show, Alex had diligently accumulated experience by teaching children cooking lessons and working in various commercial restaurant kitchens.
Alex's work was appraised far and wide and he has been humble enough to accept all accolades. Following his victory on the show, Alex proceeded to establish the non-profit organization DTLA Dinner Club in Los Angeles, collaborating with his castmate Alejandro Najar.
Sommer Sellers
Sommer is presently engaged as a private chef and also represents HexClad. She has previous experience working with Temple Court, Oceana NYC, and Spring Palace. She is recently looking to venture into catering for weddings and private events.
Cheyenne Nichols
Cheyenne underwent an emotional finale on the show and despite her relative lack of experience, her spirit and passion were commendable.
After the show's end, Cheyenne started working as a caterer and a private chef.
Sakari Smithwick
Sakari has come a long way from his humble beginning as a McDonald's grill cook. He has worked alongside legendary chefs like chef Marco Prins at Ukiyo, where he received his first Michelin star.
He founded Noble Premise, a multimedia culinary concept that aims to make fine dining accessible to low-income groups.
Brett Binninger-Schwartz
Brett's culinary prowess enabled him to become an all-rounder inside the kitchen on the show.
After the conclusion of the show, Brett has been actively honing his skills as a chef. He has been working at Revery and hosting events at the Ilani Resort.
Originally from Nashville, Brett has been pursuing his culinary career with dedication.
Vlad Brianstev
Vlad is an alumnus of the College of Lake County. Following his departure from the show, he sustained his career with Levy Restaurants, serving as a Traveling Chef.
He has prior experience working with Roister and the BOKA Restaurant Group. He runs his own 'Late Night with Chefs' podcast.
(Instagram/@chef_brianstev)
Ileana D'Silva
Based out of Williamsburg, Ileana worked as a Sous Chef at Casa Pearl before making her appearance on 'Hell's Kitchen'. She started her culinary journey as a BBQ waitress in Gloucester.
Though her current work engagements are not clearly known, Ileana is expected to combine her rigorous skills with her passion to successfully diversify her scope.
Alyssa Osinga
Alyssa entered the show riding on the confidence of having years of experience in catering and fine dining.
After the show came to an end, she started working with PLANTA restaurants as a Sous Chef.
Prior to this, she was associated with Matthew Kenney Cuisine as an Executive Chef.
Tara Ciannella
Tara's journey into the culinary arts started after she shifted gears from working in the fashion industry and started pursuing a career in hospitality.
She then went on to establish her own organization called Tara Ciannella LLC or Tara's Italian Cuccina.
Mindy Livengood
Mindy already had an established career in the management and healthcare industry before she decided to take a leap of faith and join 'Hell's Kitchen'.
Following the conclusion of the show, Mindy has persistently worked as a caterer and personal chef. Currently, she holds the position of Executive Chef at Spooky Nook Sports.
Billy Trudsoe
Billy has had an illustrious career in the culinary industry which started with him flipping burgers and then saw him through important positions at famous restaurants such as The Algonquin, The Blue Water Manor Resort, and The Chateau on the Lake.
He currently owns and serves as Executive Chef at Basil and Wick's in New York.
(Instagram/@adkchef)
Abe Sanchez
Since exiting the show, Abe has been working as an Executive Chef at Coctel Lounge. He has created his own menu at the cocktail bar, which is hugely popular with patrons. He has ventured into YouTube content creation as well and hosts regular watch parties.
Nicole Gomez
After her exit from the show, Nicole continues to work as a private chef. She has developed her own line of dips and sauces which are available for sale on Amazon.
Nicole is very active on Instagram, where she regularly posts updates about her culinary adventures.
O'Shay Lolley
O'Shay was eliminated after he made the unforgivable mistake of serving raw meat during one of the show's challenges. He is currently based in Delaware. O'Shay still works as a celebrity chef and has penned his own cookbook, along with hosting the 'Diaspora Food Stories' podcast.
Zeus Gordiany
Zeus' journey with the show ended early in the season. He is based out of Delaware and is presently working as a Corporate Chef at Benvenuto.
He isn't very active on social media and presumably likes to keep his life private.
Charlene Sherman
Charlene too had to leave the show quite early. She is a native of Wyoming and has been taking long strides in her career as a private chef.
She is also a mother of two and loves adventure and traveling with her family.
