Jan. 14--Chef Gordon Ramsay's acerbic tone typically inspires tears and fear from cooks on the Fox competition "Hell's Kitchen."
So former Longman and Eagle line cook Kristin Barone looked nervous when she went to present her signature dish of grilled pork tenderloin and fried brussels sprouts to Ramsay in the show's Season 15 premiere, which airs 8 p.m. Friday.
"First of all, who got you into food? Where did that influence come from?," Ramsay asked as he began to try her food.
"Um, my probation officer," responded Barone, who lives in Lakeview.
"Hold on, why were you on probation?," Ramsay asked.
"Um, numerous things," said Barone, 29.
"Seriously?" Ramsay asked.
"I started cooking because I was on house arrest," Barone later admitted in a confessional in the premiere. (She wouldn't disclose the reason for her arrest to the Tribune.)
Barone is one of 18 cooks competing to be the head chef at BLT Steak at Bally's hotel and casino in Las Vegas, a position that comes with a $250,000 salary.
Barone, who hails from Grand Rapids, Mich., said she decided to audition a few years ago after watching the show with her family. She was working as a cook at Gather in Ravenswood and thought the long hours at the restaurant would prepare her for the "Hell's Kitchen" challenges.
But nothing could ready her for working with Ramsay.
"It's scary. It's really scary. Gordon Ramsay is not the most approachable-seeming chef. He can be terrifying," Barone told the Tribune by phone.
The show has a reputation for casting chefs that struggle with simple tasks, which is reinforced in the premiere, when the announcer promises that "this group of chefs is the most unstable, unpredictable, imbalanced group 'Hell's Kitchen' has ever seen and they're driving everyone mad."
Barone, who attended the Illinois Institute of Art in the Loop, said it's a misconception that the show is full of terrible cooks. Ramsay's intimidation causes some contestants to scramble as they figure out how to carry out his orders, she said.
