Chef Reuel grows on Next Level Chef

For professional chef Reuel Vincent, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey’s reality-TV cooking show, Next Level Chef was a personal challenge rather than a competition against other chefs.

Vincent made it to the show’s finale which aired on March 2, along with professional chef Mariah Scott from California, and the winner, a social media chef from Kansas City, Stephanie "Pyet" Despain.

For the final they had to create three dishes in three different kitchens in 90 minutes. Vincent made steamed little neck clams with chorizo and curry cream, pan-seared cod with pea soubise and summer vegetables, and rib cap with pomme soufflés.

He said a lot of the other contestants did not want him to reach the finals because they did not want to go up against him. While that attitude was understandable, as he too would not want to be blocked from his dream, he wanted the competition, which was why he enjoyed cooking against chef Scott in particular.

“I live for that. You can’t go through life without being challenged. Then there’s no room for growth.”

He congratulated Despain on her win saying that as a black person from the West Indies he understood her drive as a person of Native American heritage.

“I can respect the stand that she’s taking. I want her to stay true to that and don’t waver for anybody. I believe her background has a lot of power in which she can show the world her culture. I support her creating opportunities and opening doors for people within the Native American community.”

He said the finals was where people experienced chef Vincent, rather than Reuel. That it was an accurate representation of his personality, which was not always the case after edits were made to fit an episode into a 45-minute period.

“My final plate was absolutely gorgeous. It was me, my soul as an artist on a plate. At that time I wasn’t in competition with Pyet or Mariah. I was in competition with myself. It was me challenging myself, maximising while moving at lightning speed.

“I stand by every single dish that I put out there for that final. I can say I was happy with that and wouldn’t change a thing. It’s me being comfortable in my capabilities and what I can produce as a chef.”

He said while it would have been “fun” to win the grand prize of US$250,000 and a one-year mentorship with chefs Ramsey, Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais, he was not disappointed with the food he cooked.

He stressed that he cooks because he loves it and competition does not define him as a chef.

For a place in the finals, Vincent had to cook against three others.

He told Sunday Newsday he saw his dream in front of him and, after he had worked so hard, all of a sudden there was a moment it might not happen. The realisation made him “kick it into fifth gear.”

He had to come up with a strategy. Since everyone else was using heavy proteins and would probably go heavy on the starches, he decided he would do something different.

“The way I was taught in the kitchen was that you have to understand how the diner eats. They will be tasting multiple dishes so if they have all that protein, they would welcome something light and bright.”

So he decided to fall back on his Caribbean heritage to create a dish of fish with crispy skin and a tomato chow. He also did fresh vegetables, made a sauce from lettuce, and juiced some beets to add some colour.

It was also a gold challenge so he liberally used the edible gold leaf available as he refused to be eliminated for having too little gold.

“They didn’t show it but I tried a lot of different things that didn’t work, but I felt my dad was with me though the whole cook. I thought, ‘Let me listen to that voice for a second. We don’t need to go extra. We just need to stick to the plan and execute.’

“When Ramsey cut into that and he said ‘it’s glistening,’ my heart dropped. Because with fish it’s either perfect to overdone and my dream was within my grasp. I was just overtaken with emotions. I couldn’t even explain it. I couldn’t stop crying. It was just so emotional for me after all the sacrifices I’ve made in my life. Now I’m actually validating my way of cooking.”

After winning the spot and before the final cook, the production team surprised Vincent by bringing in his girlfriend of six years, Nicole Cheatem, and his older brother, Darren Vincent onto the set.

He said Cheatem is also in the service industry so she understands the business and is his number one support. Seeing his brother though, moved him the most as Darren “looks just like” their late father who has always been in inspiration throughout Vincent’s career.

Vincent said Darren told him their father would be proud of him and “that started a serious fire under me. I said, ‘Today they’re gonna feel it.’”

Since the finale, Vincent has been inundated with job offers, requests for private dinners, and people, including celebrities, reaching out to him on social media.

At the beginning of the show his Instagram page had around 800 followers but since then the numbers have steadily grown to 14,700.

He works as a banquet chef at Aspire, a private event venue at One World Observatory at the top of One World Trade Center, New York City. He said he depends on his social media manager, Rondel Charles, to post on his page.

However, he said he makes it his duty to interact with or message every person who reaches out to him on the platform.

“I don’t know who I would inspire. I don’t know what I may spark or start. People are so happy when I respond. I may not be able to do it all the time but if I have the time it doesn’t kill me to be nice to someone who takes their time to follow me.”

In addition to his new fans, Vincent also thanked every Trinidadian and everyone from the Caribbean for standing with and supporting him over season one of Next Level Chef.