Young Lexington-area chef brings ‘rustic’ style to new Hell’s Kitchen season
A Lexington chef is among a group of young people on the current season of Hell’s Kitchen, and he says he brought his Kentucky flare to the competition.
Payton Cooper, who was 21 when the season was filmed in 2019, was one of 18 people selected to compete on Gordon Ramsay’s program. The contestants on the show’s twentieth season, dubbed Hell’s Kitchen: Young Guns, were 23 years old or younger at the start of filming.
Cooper grew up in Florence before moving to Lexington to study culinary arts at Sullivan University. His interest in the food industry was sparked by his family, including his mother who worked as a waitress, bartender and manager. His family’s connection to the industry allowed him to meet chefs and other people in the business, Cooper said.
Cooper has lived in the Lexington area for four or five years and has been drawn to the region’s farm-to-table and Kentucky Proud food traditions, he said.
Cooper said he has worked at Middle Fork, The Kentucky Castle and other local restaurants. Now his goal is to open a food truck in Lexington.
The experience of competing on the show was intimidating but exciting, Cooper said.
“It’s not the same as going into your regular restaurant as a dinner chef,” he said. “Every step you make is going to be watched by somebody one way or another. There’s immediate feedback and judgment; you always have to be on your toes.”
Cooper incorporated his “rustic” style of cooking and love of bourbon on the show.
“I think you could see Kentucky in me from a mile away,” Cooper said.
The competition encouraged Cooper to try new things, he said. The other competitors include a vegan and a vegetarian, which made Cooper want to try to branch out from his more protein-focused dishes.
The show airs Monday nights at 8 p.m., and the third episode is set to air next week.
