The Truth About Syann Williams From Hell's Kitchen Season 19

In the latest installment of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, the lineup is better than ever, and we see the contestants struggle to stay in the running and endure Ramsay's harsh critiques. What viewers don't always get to know, however, are the people behind the plates. Syann Williams, one of the younger contestants at 26 when shooting began on Season 19, is a chef with more than meets the eye, according to Fandom.

Hailing from east Atlanta, GA, Williams grew up in a family of chefs who inspired her (via Kravee Kitchens). She worked on cruise ships and in catering before filming Season 19 and launching her own catering and personal chef business, Kravee Kitchens (via Reality Blurred and Facebook). William's catering service serves up yummy Southern-style plates like peppercorn steak with butter-poached lobster and buttery mashed potatoes, vegan mac and cheese with collard greens, and jerk lemon salmon with asparagus, mashed sweet potatoes and beurre blanc. Yum.

There's another side to Williams, too. Beyond her bubbly personality and creative spins on food for the show, which aired in the U.K. last October (via Fandom), Williams has an interesting backstory. Apart from jobs on cruise ships in Hawaii, she even worked at the Coca Cola headquarters and traveled up and down the Mississippi on a steamboat, according to an interview with local outlet Voyage ATL. She also had her fair share of struggles coming up in the cooking world, and worked hard to move up the ranks: Williams started out at 17 and worked three jobs while going to culinary school — without a car (via Voyage ATL). 

Williams is also generous with her food, putting a call-out on her business' Facebook page over Thanksgiving to reach two families in need for a free holiday meal, prepared by Kravee Kitchens. And if Williams' Facebook posts are any indication, the chef isn't afraid to laugh at herself, posting a screen-grab of a moment in Hell's Kitchen where her face says it all. One of her friends commented on the expression, "your facial expression I was like First of all who are you talking to but since I'm on national TV I'm a keep it cute LOL." Hell's Kitchen season 19 aired in the U.S. on January 7 and is available on Fox (via Deadline).