‘Hell’s Kitchen’ season 22: How did Fort Liberty spouse Leigh Orleans do?
Private chef and Fort Liberty spouse Leigh Orleans is the first to admit that she was the “underdog” in the latest season of hit TV show “Hell’s Kitchen,” which aired from September through late January.
Orleans, 28, said Thursday that she had the least cooking experience among the 18 contestants who competed for $250,000 and a job as head chef at "Hell's Kitchen" host Gordon Ramsay's newest hotel and casino in New Jersey.
Orleans, a Virginia native, was fresh out ofculinary school in Savannah, Georgia, when she flew to Los Angeles, California, to film the show in 2022.
Still, she said, she managed to beat the odds, winning four challenges, three services and placing sixth overall in the reality cooking competition.
Plus, the Cameron resident snagged a coveted black jacket — a chef’s coat awarded to the final handful of contestants each season, symbolizing the end of team challenges and the beginning of competitions against the other competitors.
“It’s a big honor,” she said. “I’m really proud of myself for not letting the heat of the kitchen throw me off.”
Since then, she said, her career has taken off. Orleans said the credibility that comes with the show has helped her land jobs cooking for upscale wellness retreats and private dining clients.
“I’m incredibly grateful,” she said. “I can say that I cooked on TV, and I have proof that Gordon Ramsay said my food was fantastic.”
Though she said the three sleep-deprived, whirlwind weeks spent filming were among the hardest in her life, Orleans said she is open to starring in another show. In the meantime, she’s got a few coals in the fire.
Here’s a look at what’s next for the rising chef.
Launching a new business in luxury gastronomy retreats
Alongside business partner Martin Roche of Chapel Hill, Orleans plans to launch a company offering luxury vacations focused on food and wine.
She and Roche are calling the venture ORO; they may offer trips to clients they work with to design the gastronomy-based vacation of their dreams. Transportation, meals, excursions and activities will be included.
She already has a few European trips in the works, but the business is slated to officially launch in late summer.
Master’s degree in wine and beverages
Orleans said she is leveling up her private dining services with wine pairings and education. This summer, she graduates from an online master’s program in wine and beverages with the Culinary Institute of America, the same school that has produced the likes of celebrity chiefs, the late Anthony Bourdain and Roy Choi.
“Private dining is such an experience that I want to round it out with wine pairing and make it something fun that I can speak to,” she said.
What’s next for Orleans?
Orleans said she can envision a cookbook in her future, but that may be a few years away.
In the next five years, she said, she’d like to have a brick-and-mortar space in the Tar Heel State to host events and pop-up dinners.
Follow her work on Instagram @chefleigh, on TikTok @chef.leigh and on her website chefleigh.me.
Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com or on Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What's next for Army spouse Leigh Orleans after 'Hell's Kitchen'?
