by Gina Scarpa

This week, on Hell’s Kitchen, the final two chefs competed in one last cookoff at Araxi restaurant in Whistler, British Columbia.  A panel of judges chose Dave Levey’s menu over Kevin Cottle, giving him an edge heading into the final dinner service.  In that final service, Dave chose to work with former contestants Ariel, Robert, and Suzanne who proved to be a better team than Kevin, Van, Amanda, and Sabrina.  Chef Ramsay ultimately chose Dave as the winner of Hell’s Kitchen and he will soon head to British Columbia to take over at Araxi restaurant, in British Columbia, which is the site of the 2010 Olympics.  Today, Dave took time out of his busy schedule to talk with RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about his victory on Hell’s Kitchen.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you decide to try out for Hell’s Kitchen this season?
A. Dave: I had seen a few episodes but never a whole season.  I was skateboarding to work and I skated past the line for the open casting call.  It was a random act and not premeditated at all.  I did not expect at all to be chosen.  That’s exactly how it went down. 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You injured yourself pretty early on in the season.  Can you talk a little about exactly how you hurt your wrist?
A. Dave: Before the show, I broke my wrist skateboarding.  On Hell’s Kitchen, we had a challenge where we had to cook for firefighters and we lost.  For our punishment, we had to clean the engines.  I hand my hand in between the engine and the water tank.  As I yanked my arm out, I felt it snap.  I tried to hide it but I checked it and it was swollen like a balloon.  I showed the nurse and they told me to go to the hospital.  When I got there, they told me I had fractured it and tore a tendon, which was what was making it so painful.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did you ever think about leaving the show?
A. Dave: There was never a thought that I wanted to go home but I thought they might make me go home.  I met with Chef Ramsay in his office and he said, “If you’re game, it’s cool with me.”  My focus was not to think about the big picture, but just to take it day by day.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you manage to cook with only one healthy arm?
A. Dave: I have worked before with a broken wrist.  I’ve done it before and I knew what to do.  I always had to pay the bills.  I knew to keep the cast clean.  It was a little painful but it wasn’t the end of me.  I just took ibuprofen and went on with the competition.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you think that the fact that you worked through an injury has something to do with your win?
A. Dave: I would hope that I won because I showed a lot of determination.  In the end, I chose a menu that was true to the prize, to the location of the Araxi restaurant.  I based it off of the local and regional cuisine of the Whistler area.  I proved that a broken wrist can’t stop me.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When did you start to realize that winning Hell’s Kitchen was a very real possibility?
A. Dave: When I won the last two challenges, that gave me a confidence booster.  It let me know that victory was attainable.  Kevin is an excellent chef and he was my biggest competition, besides Ariel.  Winning that last cookoff really boosted my confidence.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Are you already at Araxi or making preparations to go there?
A. Dave: I just got back from a trip to Whistler, British Columbia.  I spent a couple of days at Araxi and spent time with the executive chef and staff there.  Now, I’m going to be working in New Jersey for a few more months and when the Olympics head there, I’ll be going too.  The fact that Olympics will be there will be the icing on the cake.  It’s an amazing opportunity to be in a worldwide spotlight.  I couldn’t be more excited.  This whole thing started out as a random act and now, here I am.

(Image courtesy of FOX)

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