In January 2022, the new cooking reality competition show Next Level Chef aired on Fox, featuring chefs with various experiences facing off against each other in teams, with famous chefs Gordon Ramsey, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais serving as advisors. Kansas-based Stephanie DeSpain, or Pyet, short for her inherited Native American name Pyetwetmokwe, won the first season, taking home the $250,000 and one-year mentorship under all three notable chefs, as her infusion of Indigenous and Mexican flavors stood out among her competitors. The second season of Next Level Chef is underway, and one of the nine remaining chefs looks to follow in Pyet’s footsteps.
Pyet DeSpain won ‘Next Level Chef’ Season 1 in March 2022
Kansas City-based social media chef Stephanie “Pyet” DeSpain competed on season 1 of Next Level Chef as part of Team Nyesha Arrington.
After an average start, she secured her first winning dish in episode 5 by making the best burger.
The chef landed at the bottom once but won the head-to-head cookoff, maintaining her spot in the show. Pyet then fought her way back from the bottom kitchen, winning the season over Team Richard Blais’s Mariah Scott and Team Gordon Ramsey’s Reuel Vincent.
Throughout her time on the show, Pyet, who grew up on a reservation, incorporated Native American and Mexican flavors in her cooking.
Pyet spent a week cooking her creations at Gordon Ramsey’s famous Lucky Cat restaurant
Following her victory, she wrote a post on Instagram reflecting on her journey and dedicating her win to indigenous people globally.
Before the show, Pyet lived out of her car and stayed with friends for a year when she relocated from Kansas to Los Angeles to chase her culinary career dreams.
After winning, which came with a $250,000 check and year-long mentorship under Arrington, Ramsey, and Blais, she did an event with the National Network Organization for Native American Youth, UNITY.
Additionally, she appeared on The Rachael Ray Show with Blais, where she shared her Bison Empanada and Pepita Salsa recipe. In October 2022, Pyet spent a week cooking in Ramsey’s famous London-based restaurant Lucky Cat as the limited menu included some of her creations.
