What do Miami chefs Robyn Almodovar, Paula DaSilva, and Ralph Pagano have in common besides knowing how to whip up a damn good meal? They've all been featured on the Fox reality show Hell's Kitchen, and you can be next.
Although Season 11 hasn't yet wrapped, chef Gordon Ramsay is searching for more contestants for Season 13. There will be stops in Beantown, the City of Brotherly Love, and other metro areas; the producers will hit up the Magic City this weekend to search for America's next favorite executive chef. The open casting call will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel.
To make sure no one's feelings get hurt (as if that's not the premise of the whole show), the Conlin Company, which is organizing the casting call, wants to remind you there is no guarantee of acceptance. Pessimism aside, you can apply online ahead of time here. Be prepared for a questionnaire more intensive than the grilling your father gave your new beau during their first dinner together. We scoped it out, and in true Hell's Kitchen fashion, they want to know about your pet peeves, how you react to criticism, and if you had daddy issues as a child. A video submission is also suggested because it helps the producers better know you.
Bring the printed application to the casting call, wear your chef's coat (this isn't a joke), and have a culinary resumé on hand. The listing says "prior cooking experience preferred." Our guess is you won't go very far without it. But part-time food lovers and cafeteria workers are just as welcome as experienced chefs and private caterers -- as long as you're passionate about food and have an "outspoken, competitive, and engaging" attitude. And like just about everything else in life, you have to be 21 or older.
Words of advice from Season 5 runnerup Paula DaSilva, who also helms 1500 Degrees at the hotel where the casting call is being held: "They're looking for a variety of different personalities, from the crazies to the person who's more calm and passive. It's that sort of extreme from one to the other, and you never know which one you're going to fit, so what I always tell people when they ask me is to be yourself, because being yourself is what they're looking for."
Adds DaSilva: "Some years of experience will definitely be good for you."
For more information, email [email protected] or call 310-313-9100.
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