She worked, sweated, and gave it everything she had, after 16 episodes she proved she was the best!

Chef from Traverse City Kim Ryan has won 'Hell's Kitchen'. The long and intense journey she has taken earned her $250,000 and an opportunity to accept a years contract as head chef for the Yardbird Southern Table & Bar at the Venetian in Las Vegas...but there was one catch...she had to wait almost 2 years to tell anyone.

The show wrapped up filming in December of 2014, and she has had to keep the secret since then,

Ryan is not only planning on taking the job in Vegas but has started preparing for the move.

“I have to get things in order, find a good place to live out there and arrange child care,” she says. “I couldn’t even start looking for someone to lease my house until now, because someone on the Internet might find (the ad) and figure out I won. But I take this opportunity very seriously…I think that’s why I did well on the show. Some people were there to be a character or get screen time, but I was focused on winning this job.”

 

Ryan credits her education, and training for helping her prepare for the show as well as in it. She also never forgot where she came from. Ryan served many dishes throughout the competition that showcased Northern Michigan ingredients. In fact she told travereseticker.com 

“I asked (the producers) to get morel mushrooms, which they had never heard of before – they had to outsource them,” she says. “I did a cherry sauce with the dessert. I did bone marrow mashed potatoes, which was (a tribute to) The Cooks’ House. I really wanted to represent Traverse City and where I’m from.”

Cheers to Kim Ryan for making not only Northern Michigan proud but all of Michigan.

Congratulations!

 

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