In less than two weeks, America will see the passion Chef Lewis Curtis puts into his work. Curtis, aka Chef Lewie, will be a contestant on the eighth season of Hell’s Kitchen which will air Wednesday, Sept. 22.
Although cooking has always been a passion for Curtis, of Cabot, his appearance on Hell’s Kitchen didn’t come easy. It was actually the third time he auditioned for the show.
“The third time is a charm,” Curtis said with a chuckle. “My mom is my No. 1 supporter, and she gave me a ticket to fly to Chicago.”
In Chicago, he auditioned for season 2 of Hell’s Kitchen, and he made it through the first round and was flown on to Los Angeles. His first daughter was born during this time, and he said he was torn but decided to go home to be with his family.
Curtis, who is executive chef at Lulav in Little Rock, auditioned for season 5 of the show in Atlanta and again was flown to Los Angeles for the final rounds.
“Everyone in my group made it, but I didn’t,” Curtis said.
After that, Curtis said, he took a break from the restaurant business, but he never left the kitchen. He began doing personal catering and would prepare a fine-dining meal in someone’s home kitchen.
“My mom approached me and said, ‘You really need to try out,’” Curtis said about his third try for Hell’s Kitchen. “Mom drove me to Dallas.”
The two planned on spending one day in Dallas, but Curtis was asked to stay over. He was once again flown to Los Angeles for the final rounds.
“The rest is what it is,” Curtis said. “I was in season 8.”
Although he is under contract not to discuss how far he got on the show or who won, he did say that on the show, Gordon Ramsay is much like he is in real life.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush — I bit my tongue a lot,” Curtis said. “There was a lot of tension and conflict, but it’s his show, his money and his restaurant.”
Curtis added that even off-camera, Ramsay still wants his food to be perfect.
“This season’s cast is one of the most dynamic and competitive groups we have seen,” Hell’s Kitchen executive producer Arthur Smith said, “and we have seen a lot, given that we celebrate our 100th dinner service this fall.”
“We guarantee this season will be full of surprises for our viewers,” executive producer Kent Weed added, “as they watch their favorite chefs battle to the end to be named Hell’s Kitchen’s next champion.”
Curtis’ mother, Barbara Armstrong, described the trip to Dallas as priceless.
“As a mother, we want our children to be happy, and this trip made him happy,” Armstrong said. “We did crazy things along the way, like buying lottery tickets, reminiscing about the days of his childhood when he would prepare massive meals for us while we built our farm, our last trip to Dallas when he was competing for a culinary scholarship after a horrible car accident, and what may lie ahead if we follow our dreams and have people around us that believe in us.”
When Curtis was a senior in high school, he was planning a trip to Dallas for a scholarship competition for a culinary school in Dallas. His truck was hit by a drunk driver the day before he was set to leave; however, Curtis still made it in the top 10 despite his crutches and pain medication.
“I wasn’t up to par,” he said about not winning a scholarship, “but I’ve always persevered in the kitchen.”
As a child, Curtis cooked for his family and friends. His mother said he got so good that his friends would invite him over to their kitchens to cook for them.
“I tried very hard to cook every meal for our family,” Armstrong said. “This was always very important to have family and good food at the table. Lewis was always in the kitchen helping or cooking our meals while we worked outside on the farm.”
Curtis’ mother is no stranger to good food and has been a big influence in her son’s love of cooking. Armstrong is the spirit behind the Searcy Certified Farmers Market, and Curtis is the market chef.
By taking items that are available at the farmers market in Searcy’s Spring Park, each Saturday, Curtis demonstrates how to prepare a fine-dining meal on a low budget.
“People love Chef Lewie,” Armstrong said about his cooking demonstrations at the farmers market. “He is funny and very talented; customers and farmers love it on days he is cooking at the market. We are always well fed.”
Curtis will celebrate the two-hour season premier of Hell’s Kitchen with a watch party at Lulav, beginning with a champagne toast at 6:55 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22. His signature dish from the show will also be on the menu.
“There was always a part of me that knew this was his opportunity and he would make the show,” Armstrong said. “Third time was the charm. Of course, I screamed and cried tears of joy. ... I was a very happy and proud mother to see Lewis so happy and grateful.”