New Jersey chef Jacqueline Baldassari vies with the 20-contestant lineup in Season 11 of “Hell’s Kitchen,” celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s reality television cooking competition. The roster, revealed February 27, includes 10 female and 10 male chefs from across the United States.
The popular program returns March 12 with its eleventh season debut, opening with a signature dish competition filmed before a live Las Vegas audience.
Who is “Hell’s Kitchen” contestant Jacqueline Baldassari?
Twenty-seven-year-old Baldassari lives in Florence, New Jersey, where she works as a roundsman. Previous employers include the Old York Country Club and Triumph Brewery. She began her restaurant career at age 12, checking coats in her grandfather’s restaurant, and advanced to bussing and food service positions in other family establishments.
Baldassari, who studied hospitality at New Jersey’s Mercer County Community College, has described herself as having an “obsession with food” and as “an innovative chef with a Jersey flare [sic] and attitude.”
The “Hell’s Kitchen” Season 11 contestant’s signature dish is Magret Duck Breast with Sweet Potato Rosti, and Caramelized Brussel Sprouts with a Currant Au Jus.
Starting March 12 at 8 p.m. ET. on Fox TV, the eleventh season of “Hell’s Kitchen” is themed “Get Out,” clearly quoting Ramsay’s oft-shouted phrase from every season of the show. Baldassari joins 19 other contestant cooks to compete for the coveted prize of a head chef position, at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace under Executive Chef Jeremy Berlin.
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