Next Level Chef Season 2 will feature 18 chefs from around the country competing in the biggest and most unusual culinary war ever. Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais will supervise the chefs as they are divided into six teams. Vincent Alia is one of six chefs selected to partner with Team Gordon Ramsay.
Vincent Alia, a 43-year-old home cook, is originally from Columbia, South Carolina. He currently works as a firefighter in Westminster, Massachusetts.
Next Level Chef Competitor Vincent “Vinny” Alia was in the US Navy for four years.
Vincent graduated from Leominster High School in 1997 and spent four years in the United States Navy before joining the Leominster Firefighter and EMT Department in 2004. He is a self-taught chef who enjoys cooking for his fire department. He specializes in chicken piccata. Vincent is known for “putting elements together” to see what he can produce. His Italian family is responsible for his lifelong enthusiasm for cooking, which he developed as a youngster.
As a single parent, Vincent is raising his 9-year-old daughter, Madison. He suffered a heart attack in December and will watch the debut episode at home with his daughter, two nieces, Erin McKenna, his daughter’s mother and her husband Dave, as well as his sister Ashley and her husband Mike.
He is unable to work now, but is taking Mount Wachusett Community College’s online courses. In an interview, Vincent stated:
“I’m just trying to improve for the sake of the fire service.”
He continued that his family and friends are all very excited about the whole thing.
Vincent “Vinny” Alia failed to fill out his own season 2 application form for Next Level Chef.
While watching the first season of Next Level Chef, Alia’s colleague Shawn Phillips filled out the 40-page application for him and put “Firehouse Cook” in the application. Vincent was taken aback when the show’s producers asked for some photos and said:
“I’m just a firefighter’s cook. I have no crockery and I have no idea how to make something look elegant.”
The pictures earned him an interview and the producers liked his attitude and background. He was allowed to compete in the show, but he tested positive for Covid in London where he was scheduled to film for the competition. Alia eventually met the Next Level Chef’s mentors after the producers gave him five days to show up on the scene. In an interview, he described the entire event as “unreal”, adding:
“It’s like being pushed into the NFL as a high school football player.”
Vincent said speed, presentation, taste and delivery were all critical aspects of his experience with the program.
All about next level chef
Nyesha J. Arrington, Gordon Ramsay and Richard Blais are the mentors for Season 2 of Next Level Chef. They will strive to get the best out of the six team members supervised by them until they discover the “one” biggest competitor. The winner of the series receives a $250,000 cash award, a year of mentorship from the judges, and lifetime bragging rights. Following the Super Bowl, Season 2 of Next Level Chef will premiere on Fox on Sunday, February 12 at 10:30 p.m. ET. After the special launch episode, the program returns every Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
