Girl power! Two women remain as Hell’s Kitchen Season 14 prepares to crown a winner. Meghan Gill, 28, and T Gregoire, 31, are the last chefs standing in the latest season of Fox’s reality cooking competition, and they both spoke to Us Weekly about their time on the show.
Gordon Ramsay will choose one of the finalists for a head chef position in a restaurant at Caesars Atlantic City. Before one of the women claims her new title, find out everything you need to know about each of the up-and-coming young chefs.
Meghan Gill
Age: 28
Hometown: Roanoke, Va.
What Being on TV is Like: “It’s terrifying to watch yourself on television. You have no idea what you said. I discovered that I may have a mouth on me! The terrifying mom calls are the worst. Oh boy. ‘What did you say?'”
Training: French
Expertise: French-based Mediterranean cuisine
Why Hell’s Kitchen? “It’s actually out of my character to take that kind of a risk but I’m not not happy that I did it.”
Culinary Idol: “I would have to say the person who taught me how to cook, Jon Mathieson. He can do no wrong in my book. He taught me basically everything I know. He yelled at me when I needed to be yelled at, he encouraged me when I needed to be encouraged. When I was getting ready to throw in the towel at 24 he yelled at me until he knocked some sense into me. He really pushed me.”
Her Strengths: “I’ve said that I have blinders on, but I think that is one of my strengths. I am very focused. I have a solid background. I believe that I can cook very well as a line cook. I believe that I can be a leader in the kitchen. I have a voice and a purpose in the kitchen, and direction.”
Biggest Threat From T: “She was like a dark horse. Now that I’m watching it on TV, I really see her strengths and I see how she grew throughout the competition. I think that it blindsided me a little bit when we got into the black jackets and I was back in the kitchen with her and I was like, ‘Wait a minute!’ She’d really progressed.”
Girl Power: “I would not have gone into this competition not thinking I was going to be the winner. I think everybody thinks that!”
Non-Culinary Hobbies: “I like shopping! I love to go to places where there is water. I don’t necessarily get in the water, but I like to relax and kick back. You’re in the kitchen all the time and it’s so intense all the time.”
T Gregoire
Age: 31
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
What Being on TV is Like: “Sometimes it’s weird listening to something that I’ve said. The best part is seeing my own facial expressions.”
Training: French
Why Hell’s Kitchen? “This show was sort of like a moment of validation for me. I really wanted to know if this was something I still want to consider doing. If you want to be the best, you still have to go where the best go, play with the best, and surround yourself with them. I felt like this competition embodied that.”
Culinary Idol: “Gordon of course is very inspirational to me, but the people who have worked really closely with me, my mentors, Chef Jonathan [Jerusalmy] and Chef Veronica [Wandui], they’ve really molded me into the person and the chef that I’ve become today.”
Her Strengths: “I’ve learned so much to pay more attention to detail. It is all in the detail and that is something that really held me back, even as a young cook.”
Biggest Threat From Meghan: “Meghan is a very talented chef, and she’s already an executive chef. Me, as a line cook, I’m not as experienced in the industry as she is. She has more technique than me, but I have the passion!”
Girl Power: “It was just about getting the guys up out of there! But I think women have been winning the last couple of seasons. I was really excited I could actually be one of those women.”
Non-Culinary Hobbies: “Definitely at the top of my list has to be sleeping! Number two has to be laundry, and then spending time with the family. I love my family, but after spending time with them at the end of the day I have to go back to work and then I have no clean chef jackets! What am I gonna do then? Right now I am on a knowledge thirst so I’m reading a couple of things. In order to develop in this industry you have to know your stuff.”
Hell’s Kitchen will name a winner on Tuesday, June 9, at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.
