One thing you may or may not know about me is in 2011 I had the chance of a lifetime to photograph a special event involving Hell’s Kitchen participants and winners in Clearwater, FL.
The event was for the now defunct Psghetti’s Restaurant. The owner brought in Chef Hesse to be the Executive Chef. The event was put on by Hesse which put Hell’s Kitchen vs. Wounded Veterans in a Kitchen/Artillery contest that spanned two days. They were also opening the Angelo Dundee Corner at the restaurant.
(The restaurant closed shortly after this event but not because of bad food, etc… instead the owner had multiple businesses which he owed a lot of money on and the Government seized the restaurant as collateral.)
That night I met Arial, Craig, Amanda, Van, Danny (WINNER) and Gino. Hesse was a judge only.
What was amazing is they did a typical Hell’s Kitchen challenge, usually to pick the winning team on the show, right in front of my eyes. I got to be RIGHT in the middle of it all.
It was just like what you saw on TV. Absolute chaos, cooks screaming out times and dictation to ensure all plates are delivered equally hot and ready for consumption.
In the end the Wounded Vets won. I had a blast meeting all these great celebrity chefs, Angelo Dundee and a few New York Yankees. It was a night to remember.
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