Christina Wilson: What The Winner Of Hell's Kitchen Season 10 Is Doing Now
Christina Wilson, the Philadelphia chef who survived a grueling 16 weeks in "Hell's Kitchen" to emerge as the 2012 winner, was eventually awarded a prestigious position at Gordon Ramsay Steak at Las Vegas along with a salary of $250,000. Ramsay's comment as he announced her victory hinted at the fact that their working relationship would prove to be a long one.
"Christina's passion and talent are undeniable. She's a strong leader who is totally at home in the kitchen," he said (via TV Guide). "I know I'm not rolling the dice with her in Vegas because she is the real deal."
It seems as if Wilson, unlike original "Hell's Kitchen" winner Michael Wray, has turned her season in Gordon Ramsay's hell into a career that's close to being any chef's dream of heaven. Here's what the chef has been up to since she first appeared on the cooking competition series.
She returned to Hell's Kitchen in 2021
Gordon Ramsay wasn't wrong in his assessment of Christina Wilson. In the years since her win, she's made numerous reappearances on the show. At times, she's served in the role of a sous chef; at other times, she's been a judge. And in recent years, she's taken on more of a mentoring role. This was especially evident during her 2021 appearance on "Hell's Kitchen: Young Guns."
As Wilson told TV Insider of her time on the show, "This is the first time that I really feel that generational gap." She says of the young chefs, "They have such a different, fresh perspective on the world, on food — it's really neat to see."
As to whether fans will see her on the new season of "Hell's Kitchen," the Magic 8 Ball says "Signs point to yes." In a June tweet, Wilson shared an announcement about "Hell's Kitchen" Season 21's September premiere, captioning it "Here we go again!!"
Wilson has good reason to be fond of Ramsay
While Gordon Ramsay has numerous detractors — that onscreen abrasive personality of his isn't entirely put on, after all — Christina Wilson still counts herself as one of his biggest fans, and it seems he returns that regard.
The two appeared together on a 2018 episode of "My Houzz," where Ramsay surprised her with a complete makeover of her Philly rowhouse (via Today). While Wilson's post-"Hell's Kitchen" gig had enabled her to buy the house she'd been renting, Ramsay apparently wanted to sweeten the pot with a whole house makeover, too.
During the episode, Ramsay expanded on why he wanted to give his employee such an elaborate gift. He described Wilson as "one of the most endearing, humble chefs I've ever met" and says that such a hard worker deserves a sweet space to "relax, enjoy and unwind." Wilson, however, has other plans. When she sees her brand-new gourmet kitchen, she announces, "I can't wait to get cooking!"
An enduring – and endearing – relationship
Christina Wilson has gotten downright gushy about Gordon Ramsay on social media. In August 2019, she tweeted: "I could dedicate an entire page to things @GordonRamsay does for other people completely under the radar." She took the love to Instagram on his birthday in November, as well, congratulating him on his new restaurant opening in Kansas City as well as his having survived another year "look[ing] as good and feel[ing] as young as [his newest restaurant!"
The following year, the lovefest continued, as she posted a heart-emoji'd "Eight years and counting" to Instagram in October to celebrate her Ramsayversary and followed it up a few weeks later with a "Happy Birthday, Chef!! Hope today and the year ahead is full of love and laughter!!"
While there were no birthday greetings for her mentor in 2021, Wilson's social media use seemed to have slowed down somewhat in general, so it seems she may just be too busy to be constantly tweeting and 'gramming these days. She did, however, post a cute GIF of her and Ramsay hugging in February, so it seems there's been no falling-out between the two of them.
Wilson still works for Ramsay
As Christina Wilson admitted to TV Insider, pretty much everything she has, she owes to Gordon Ramsay. She describes her career pre-"Hell's Kitchen" as "very modest," but says that "I've been with Gordon since I walked through the doors as a contestant. I've never left." Her curriculum vitae bears this out.
While Wilson's website has apparently not been updated in a while — it lists her current role as "Executive Chef of Gordon Ramsay BurGR [sic] in Planet Hollywood Casino," which was where she landed after her stint at Ramsay's Vegas steakhouse — her LinkedIn profile tells the rest of the story. She finished up at Ramsay Burger in 2015, moving on to a position as Culinary Director of Gordon Ramsay Restaurants' U.S. Division for five years. Most recently, she has been the Culinary VP of this organization.
Wilson's LinkedIn, however, does give fans one mystery to ponder. Apparently she has held, or still holds, one non-Ramsay-dependent role: that of the founder of an organization called Humble Pie, LLC. Although Humble Pie, whatever it may be, has apparently been in operation since 2015, we cannot find any records of such a business in the Las Vegas area. There is, however, reportedly a food production company called Humble Pie in Salk Lake City with whom Wilson is said to be associated, but the address (via Google Maps) does not appear to be a shop or a restaurant. So her side gig must be pretty humble, indeed.