IamA Chef Andi Van Willigan from Hell's Kitchen. AMA!

What is Gordon really like?

Gordon is like any chef you would meat. The intense element of the show is to push people to become better than they are. In reality, he is as demanding as any chef but is also very good training new chefs and working with experienced chefs.

How did you get to where you are today, did you go to culinary school?

Do you, Gordon and Chef Scott hang out outside of shoots?

I had to do things I'm not proud of to get to where I am today.

Best food to eat that doesn't cost a fortune?

There are a lot of things you can make on a budget that are world class foods. Beef Wellington is a perfect example. I think that is one of the reasons it is so popular among patrons at Hell's Kitchen and in the food industry as a whole.

I love every Ramsay show that I see. From Master Chef, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and the one that he did in the prison.

I know most of his screaming and yelling is half of just being a great chef and expecting the best as well as adding to interesting TV.

I've always wondered, why is Hell's Kitchen always the same dishes season after season? It's always wellington, scallops, etc. Is there a reasoning for that, or is just standard food that you need to know how to cook? Also, how do people screw up scallops 3 straight times?! Oh and, if I can ask one more, which chef that was on the show completely blew you away and made you think "this one absolutely has it'?

The foods are chosen that way for a couple of reasons:

1. They are all items you will find on most any menu in a fine dining restaurant.
2. They have such extreme degrees of cooking time. Lamb requires a conservative 10 minutes. Scallops can cook in 1 minute. Because of this, it requires the best of communication among the chefs.

What's the greatest fuck up that happened while you were in the kitchen?

I would say it was when Vinny chose to tell the patrons in the restaurant not to order any of the side items because he though Raj would mess them up. Gordon was outraged and I am surprised he wasn't removed from the competition for it.

How much were you paid? Was it enough for the amount of work you put in?

I can't discuss how much I was paid.

A lot of contestants on Hells Kitchen seem really egotistical and seem to lack many basic skills that would have been gained working at any midrange or above restaurant. Is this just tv editing or are contestants chosen for their inexperience in a commercial kitchen? Do the contestants ask for their techniques to be critiqued prior to filming? Every time you have to jump in and clear out a kitchens remaining tickets, it looks like you and the other sous chefs complete the orders with minimal drama.

I'm not part of the contestant selection process so I couldn't answer this with any real certainty. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say it is a combination of drama and skilled chefs.