And the Winner of Season 3 of ‘Next Level Chef’ Tells Parade…
Team Gordon Ramsay’s Gabi Chappel was named the Season 3 winner of ‘Next Level Chef’
For the third straight year in a row, a woman has won Next Level Chef when Team Gordon Ramsay’s Gabi Chappel—his second win—walked away with the $250,000 prize and the one-year mentorship that comes with the title.
“I think what it means is that it totally drowns the stereotype that you have to be [a man] in this very patriarchal, male-dominated culinary world to really know how to cook and how to create flavor,” Gabi, who says it was the “ultimate honor” to be chosen by Gordon for his team, told Parade in this exclusive interview.
The 29-year-old social media chef from Brooklyn, NY, competed against professional chef Zach Laidlaw from Maui, HI, and home cook Christina Miros from Dumont, NJ, in the finale. Her strategy was to stick to what she knows and what she excels at, and it paid off.
“I recognized that throughout all of my cooks and throughout the whole season, the days that I did the best were the ones that I entered this flow state, where I just allowed myself to do my thing, not overthink it, and allowed what I love and the flavors I love,” Gabi said. “Not trying to imitate something else or trying to make something fancy for fancy’s sake, but truly just make the things that I love and allow that to shine. And so, I felt that going into the finale, if I could do that, then at least the bare minimum, no matter what, I’d have no regrets.”
Gabi’s strategy paid off with more than the prizes. As part of her mentorship with Gordon Ramsay, she will be joining the Bite network with her own original series, Gabi’s Next Course, so while she will be getting direction from the best, she will also be able to expand her social media presence in Zoom chats with Gordon, Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais.
“I feel like the mentorship will have those [Zoom] elements absolutely, but then I think it will also come more in the form of being able to be exposed to opportunities because of these chefs and being able to work with them in ways that are a bit more nuanced,” Gabi continued. “For example, if I want to host a pop-up, I’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, Chef Arrington, this is my menu. What edits can I make or what are you thinking? Is there anything that is sticking out to you?’ Being able to work that relationship in a way that again allows me to strengthen what I’m doing as a chef.”
CR & Read the full article at: https://parade.com/tv/next-level-chef-season-3-winner-gabi-chappel-interview