"Hell's Kitchen" winner Dave Levey excited about moving to Whistler

He may just be the most high-profile chef in Canada, or at the very least, certainly BC’s most-anticipated newcomer. His name is Dave Levey and last week in front of millions of television viewers, the San Diego native earned the distinction of working at Whistler’s famed Araxi Restaurant – the grand prize for being the Season Six winner of the hit series, ‘Hell’s Kitchen’. I spoke with the elite ski resort’s newest arrival and asked him his impression of working for the often fiery and colorful chef, Gordon Ramsay.

“I get asked that a lot,” Levey tells me. “Chef Ramsay’s fiery temper is just his intense drive and passion in the kitchen and he’s just trying to bring out the best out of you. If you crumble - while he’s yelling at you - you gotta get out of the kitchen, but outside of the kitchen he’s a very nice guy; very down to earth and chill. I definitely enjoyed the time I spent with him and got along well with him.”

Being an accomplished chef himself, the 32 year old Levey says having worked in a variety of kitchens over 25 years, his personal style is not to yell.

“I don’t feel the need to scream at people to make them work,” says the man dubbed ‘the one-armed bandit; having sustained serious injury during the competition. “People have to respect you in the kitchen otherwise they’re not going to do a good job for you. Obviously, when you’re under ‘Hell’s Kitchen’s’ roof, you’re going to have a little bit more bravado, but in my kitchen, I definitely do not use my temper as a way of getting my employees to do their best work; I just show respect and expect to be respected back. Yelling is not my way.”

While the exact details and specifics of his new employment have yet to be finalized, Levey tells me that he’s excited about his upcoming opportunity and doesn’t have any reservations (pardon the pun) about moving up to the Great White North.

“I don’t have any nerves about moving to Canada,” says Levey. “We haven’t worked out all the wrinkles yet; we’re not sure exactly what the dates are going to be – we’re still figuring that out. Whistler is a great town and I’ve met a lot of great people. I’ve hung out with Chef James Walt’s staff at Araxi and they’re a great bunch of people and I like the locals. I’m going to be stars struck when I see the Olympic athletes show up and I think it’s going to be a great time for both myself and Whistler.”

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