Tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are, where you’re from and what you do?

I’m Eliott. I’m a Chef from Jersey city NJ, & I cook great food for great people, & use my art to interact with the world around me on a deeper level.On the rare occasion when i’m not cooking, i’m fishing, hiking, spending time in nature with my dogs, & dabbing in photography.

What have you been up to since we last interviewed you?

Since the last time you guys interviewed me a few years back, I have continued down this beautiful path that God has put me on. My Chef journey also brought me to Los Angeles California where I lived for about a year, and was a full time private chef. I came back when the pandemic got really ugly. (yikes) , I loved it there though. I would definitely go back to visit, or film another TV show, but I won’t be permanently leaving Jersey any time soon.& the craziest part about the time since we last spoke was me being selected as a contestant in season 19 of Hells KItchen on Fox!

So you’re on a hit show! you mentioned you filmed a few years ago? why is it only coming out now?
Yes! The time has finally come for me to be able to speak about my television experience. The other contestants & myself have been eagerly awaiting this moment, it has been a long time coming, but it’s nice to finally see the show hit the air. Keeping this a secret for so long was agonizing, but I am sure it will be well worth the wait. I was 23 at the time that we filmed the show, I am now 25.

Tell us anything you can about competing!! 
Unfortunately, I can’t go into TOO much detail about competing on the show, however, I will say that it was VERY intense, and all of the stress, & pain that you will see on the contestants faces is very very real. Completing on the show was definitely one of the biggest challenges of my life, but I am extremely grateful to have been able to be a part of such a popular show that I have watched since I was in middle school!

How was it working with Ramsey, is he that intense all the time?

Working with Chef Ramsay was a DREAM come true. The whole thing felt very surreal. He is everything I thought he would be, & more. I knew damn good and well what I was signing up for. 

What can people expect from the show?

Viewers can… expect the unexpected this season!

Are you in Jersey City? 
I am no longer in Jersey City, but I am always hanging out there. & it feels very good to be a D-list celebrity chef hometown hero. hahaGrateful for this journey, & can’t wait to see how far it takes me. I’ll never forget where I came from.

How did you spend your time during lockdown? 
During the lockdown, I used that time to do plenty of research and development for the book I am writing (more on that later), & during the spring / summer months, I used my down time to get out into nature & do a lot of saltwater fishing all over the northeast.

What’s next for you?

Honestly, I can’t say for sure what is next. But I do know for sure that it will be beautiful. I also know that whatever big move I make next will be coming straight from the heart, with the sole purpose of providing tremendous value to as many people as possible, & rekindle the love & passion for cooking in the homes of as many people as my work can touch!

Follow Eliott on Instagram!