Next Level Chef premiered after Super Bowl
You’ve probably heard of former Arlington ISD student Preston Nguyen, the 19-year-old chef taking the culinary industry by storm. Well, now he’s taking his skills to new heights on Gordon Ramsay’s hit television show Next Level Chef.
CR: Michael Becker/FOX
The show premiered Sunday after the Super Bowl, so Nguyen hosted a watch party with family and friends surrounding him for the special occasion. He even set up a tripod to film his initial reactions of seeing himself on television.
As soon as he was about to enter the scene, jaws dropped from everyone in the room as the TV froze. The whole room was filled with panic for a few seconds, but all was well once the TV was reset.
“All I could think was ‘Wow, it’s actually happening now,’” said Nguyen. “Now that I’m able to slow down and see it from an outside perspective, I’m like ‘Wow, that’s really me on TV.’ If I win Next Level Chef, I may be the highest paid competition chef in the world, so I’m definitely expecting to win.
CR: Michael Becker/FOX
“Through it all, I’ve learned not to be afraid to take a step back and evaluate what you’re doing. Sometimes when you’re in the kitchen, you get flustered and you back yourself into a corner that you can’t recover from. Taking that extra second to really evaluate something and make adjustments is key.”
When speaking about filming for the show, he had nothing but compliments for the cast and staff who he worked with.
“The whole experience, as well as getting to meet Gordon and all the mentors, was amazing,” said Nguyen. “The cast was super friendly, and we bonded pretty quickly. We still talk to one another every single day. It’s a nice, big competitive family.”
Nguyen’s culinary career is taking off, and he has lots of upcoming travel planned since he’s the World Food Champion. In the meantime, you might be able to catch him at Prince Lebanese Grill serving up Mediterranean cuisine to local families.
Next Level Chef airs every Thursday at 7 p.m. on FOX. If you need something to watch with your family tonight, tune in to Next Level Chef with Gordon Ramsay to check out one of Arlington ISD’s finest in action.