ECC culinary alum appears on FOX TV's "Hell's Kitchen"
01.20.2009 – Elgin Community College (ECC) alumnus Wil Kocol takes the heat as the newest batch of contestants get cooking on the FOX network’s popular ”Hell’s Kitchen” program beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29.
“Hell’s Kitchen” is an unscripted series that pairs aspiring chefs with world-renown chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay. Chef Ramsay, well-known for his culinary passion and short temper, puts the contestants through their paces as they vie for a life-changing culinary prize. According to the show’s website, Ramsay weeds out the bad apples, keeping only those who possess the right combination of ingredients to achieve success.
Kocol, 27, of Cary, was a student of the ECC Culinary Arts and Hospitality Institute of Elgin, receiving an Associate of Applied Science degree in culinary management-restaurant management in 2006. He said the program laid the foundation for his culinary career.
“They give you the bricks and mortar,” Kocol said of his ECC instructors. “It’s your responsibility to build the house.”
Described by the show’s website as a culinary “whiz kid,” Kocol has been cooking since age 6 after seeing Julia Child on television. As a teen, he developed menus and cooked meals for his family. Since then, Kocol spent much of his life constantly trying to prove himself.
Kocol’s culinary résumé includes stints as a regional chef for Restaurants America Inc, owner of Red Star Tavern; head line cook for Pina''s Place du Marche in Fox Lake; and line cook at Red Light Chicago.
“Hell’s Kitchen” can be seen on WFLD-32 in the Chicago area.
For more information about the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Institute of Elgin, call 847-214-7802 or visit http://www.elgin.edu/culinaryarts.
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- Editors note: Wil Kocol is available for interview, photos and video upon request.
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