It’s always a surprise to get eliminated. In hindsight, even though you always think you didn’t live up to your full potential and you could have done better, our Blue Team was failing in all aspects. Anybody could have been on the chopping block that first night.
How I Got Myself Into Hell
Having never having seen an episode of Hell’s Kitchen [1] until last night’s premier, I didn't know exactly what was in store for me. I had plenty of friends who were Hell’s Kitchen fans, and they told me there was an open casting call and that I should apply for it.
My wife gave me the application. I filled it out, but when it came down to the casting call I had just picked up my child from dance class and I thought, I don’t want to run my family up there and wait in line. I wasn’t going to do it.
My wife came home early and said, “Grab that application, let’s load up the kids…I’m taking you up there.” My friends and family all thought that I had great talent and that I cook wonderfully.
I’m very creative in the kitchen and my passion for food has never stopped. I love to teach people how to cook and I love to cook. It just so happens that what Chef Ramsay saw in the kitchen wasn’t executive chef material.
First Impressions Of The Iron Chef
When I first saw Gordon Ramsay it was when he was in disguise as Terence. Believe me, I didn’t know it was him. He surprised us all! I thought, ‘This guy’s got a sense of humor.’ I was loving it.
Then we got in the kitchen and I saw the real Chef Ramsay and the way he runs his kitchen. It took me back a step. He is full of it. He comes out one word after another, and you have to get it right, get it right, get it right. Everything is timing in his kitchen.
If one dish isn’t right and yours looks perfect, it doesn’t matter. Your dish is getting put in the trash can, because every dish has to be perfect at the same time. As a team, we just weren’t doing it that night.
The Chopping Block
When I was nominated for elimination, I thought, ‘Whoa! There’s a slap in the face.’ Being the first one eliminated from Season 4 of Hell’s Kitchen is actually a blessing. I am very strong with my faith, my family and my passion for food, which are my f-words, as compared to Chef Ramsay’s f-words.
It must have been God’s will that I was able to come home and continue teaching everyone who wants to take my cooking class and be a Mr. Mom. My family needed me more than Chef Ramsay needed me in LA.
What’s On Dad’s Menu
Tonight’s dinner is going to be pretty plain. I’m going to open up the grill, I’ve got some shrimp that I have marinating in some jerk seasoning, and I’m going to put some asparagus on the grill and steam some rice.
I try to keep the dishes healthy for my family and I just try to do what’s right for kids and make stuff they like. If I can make food that my kids will turn their heads at, then I know I’m doing something right.
Here’s To Chef Ramsay
I would have loved to tell Chef Ramsay that my faith is so strong and that I respect what he does in the kitchen, but that I just couldn’t find myself using those f-words in his kitchen.
I’m blessed with a great family, wonderful friends and my church, and being a Mr. Mom is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I have no regrets about being on Hell’s Kitchen. The staff and the production company treated me wonderfully, even through elimination, and I had the time of my life.
*****
Visit Dominic's website: dominicsdelights.com [2]
Check out all the Orato.com special series:
Hell’s Kitchen Chopping Block [3]
Song Over For American Idols [4]
People In Peril [6]
