Local chef, Elise Wims, competes in 'Hell's Kitchen'
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Andora Restaurant executive chef Elise Wims is shown plating her signature dish, Pesto Seared Scallops, with Sauteed Chard and roasted Cemuy tomatoes, in a Shallot Burerre Blanc. -
Andora Restaurant executive chef Elise Wims with her signature dish (right), Pesto Seared Scallops, with Sauteed Chard and roasted Cemuy tomatoes, in a Shallot Burerre Blanc. For desert (left), New York Colossal Cheesecake with fresh berries and Carmel-Raspberry Sauce.
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That first hour in "Hell's Kitchen" was a blur to Elise Wims, yet one moment stood out: "I'm cooking and he's looking over my shoulder. I didn't even know he was there -- I jumped!
"I just did not expect him to be standing there."
He, of course, is Gordon Ramsay, the man who has reduced more chefs to tears than an onion-chopping marathon.
But no one signs on for the hit Fox Network reality show expecting a fun time. For Ms. Wims, who turned 27 after the show finished taping, the challenge and the terrors of trying to please the notoriously demanding Chef Ramsay were exactly what the Forest Hills native wanted.
"It was hard, but I wanted the opportunity to make a better life," said Ms. Wims, a graduate of Woodland Hills High School and the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. She is currently working as executive chef and president of catering at the Andora restaurant in Scott.
This premiere party will have diners seeing red.
"Red Team Puckers" is the signature drink when Season 9 of "Hell's Kitchen," the Fox reality television show, debuts Monday night. Although the broadcast begins at 8 p.m., Andora restaurant in Scott will be throwing a party one hour earlier in honor of its executive chef and catering director, Elise Wims.
Ms. Wims is a contestant on the show. Red Team refers to the group of nine ladies who competed in the early rounds against the men's Blue Team.
"I created some unique tapas that will be free to the public, and we're hoping to have a nice crowd," said Ms. Wims, 27, and a native of Forest Hills.
"Hopefully, it will be everything I want it to be," said Ms. Wims, who some day would love to host her own TV cooking show. "Also, I plan to be dressed to kill -- I'm really a girly girl."
She said she isn't certain if Andora will have any kind of viewing event for the Tuesday results show. Ms. Wims makes a strong impression in the first episode, which in reality TV-land is just as important as serving up a nicely plated dish of scallops.
First and foremost, "Hell's Kitchen" is a television show, and therefore entertainment, but the payoff is great for whoever wins the grand prize -- in this ninth season, a head chef position at BLT Steak in New York City. The 15-episode series premieres Monday at 8 p.m., with a results show the next night.
First Published July 14, 2011 12:00 am
