ORLANDO, Fla. – Years before serving her specialty dish to Gordan Ramsey, Brittany Fanning was slinging hot dogs at a ballpark concession stand in Florida.
“I’m born and raised in Eustis, Florida. I grew up, you know, just like anyone else that grew up here 20 years ago — ballparks and snow cones and all the good things that come with it out in the country,” said Fanning.
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Fanning is one of the contestants on the current season of “Hell’s Kitchen”, a show where chefs compete for a job as an Executive Chef at one of Ramsey’s restaurants.
However, her journey to get on the show was hell itself.
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“I went on this show at the saddest point of my whole life. I had no money; I had no car; I had no place to live. I was in a miserable job that I just had gotten after months of not having any work,” Fanning said.
She took a risk, she quit her job before she officially got cast and then eventually joined the 17 other head chefs competing for the grand prize.
Her time on the show wasn’t brief, placing within the top ten. She said even if it was ‘like psychological warfare’ being on “Hell’s Kitchen” made her feel alive.
“I think regardless of my mental state; it would have been very difficult. It’s a culture shock. It’s 19-hour workdays. It’s not only having to work with people that are chefs, but then the fact that it was head chefs only, we had no clue,” she said.
Even with little sleep, being woken up by banging pots and pans and being yelled at by Ramsey. She said she felt privileged to be on the show. She also said she had some great times and made friends.
Her favorite memory, she said, was when Ramsey tried her signature dish on day one.
“I’m a flavor girl, so overall, Chef Ramsay loving my flavors is by far the greatest part of the show, and it all started on that first episode,” she said.
Meanwhile, with the season still currently going on, Fanning said she is rooting for Hannah Flora to win it all.
“I love Kyle, and I love Egypt, and I respect all the different people that are still left in the game, but I am Team Hannah for sure,” she said.
Now, with the show behind her, she is getting ready to leave Florida again to start her next venture — bringing Tex-Mex to New Zealand. She got a job working for the restaurant Gringas, and she will play a key role in expanding the brand across the country.
All in all, the key to her success always comes back to those lessons she learned at the ballpark in Eustis.
“I’m grateful to my roots here in Florida, and, you know, it wasn’t like the normal way in as a chef. But if it wasn’t for how I grew up, I wouldn’t be where I’m now. So, I am very grateful,” she said.
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