Christina Machamer
Encyclopedia
Christina Machamer is an American
chef
who won the fourth season
of Fox Network's reality
cooking show Hell's Kitchen
. She was awarded a chef position at Gordon Ramsay's
new London West Hollywood restaurant where she earned a $250,000 yearly salary.
, Missouri
and began working in restaurants at age 16. She graduated from Lafayette High School in 2000 and after some time in college, she dropped out of pre-law
and decided that cooking was her calling in life. After an apprenticeship with chef Larry Forgione at An American Place, she began her formal training at Forest Park Community College in 2003. She moved onto the Culinary Institute of America
in Hyde Park
, New York in the spring of 2006 and graduated February 29, 2008.
At the Culinary Institute, she graduated at the top of her class.
Machamer was the contestant with the least amount of cooking experience and was repeatedly nominated for elimination, mostly due to what her peers described as a threatening intellect. Despite all this, she broke the standing record for number of challenges won with 9 wins and finished as the final competitor, defeating the season's runner-up, Louis Petrozza. What most impressed Ramsay was her special potential, something he did not see nearly enough of in any of the other contestants. After winning, Machamer had the choice of accepting her $250,000 prize money at once or earning it as a paycheck for working a year at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant.
While waiting for the show to be aired and permission to disclose her win, Machamer worked at Revival, a restaurant in St. Louis
started by her mentor, chef Cary McDowell.
Together with Lemieux, Machamer began BCBC Blends, a small artisan spice company that has recently been launched nationally.
Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood was awarded a Michelin Star in the 2009 Michelin Guide
. As of early 2009, Machamer is the executive sous chef at the London West Hollywood, where she works nearly 14 hours a day and is also charged with supervising the kitchen's various stations.
Machamer will be blog
ging for BuddyTV.com after each episode of season 5 and has recently completed her sommelier
diploma in wine service.
In January 2009, she was featured as a host at the St. Louis Food & Wine Experience.
Since being invested with celebrity status from her win, Machamer has been invited to a number of culinary events. She and 2007 Hell's Kitchen season winner Rock Harper
competed in a cookoff and both will be among those presenting at the 2009 Scottsdale Culinary Festival in Arizona
.
After Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood was sold back to LXR hotels, Machamer traveled to Napa to study wine at CIA Greystone in St. Helena, CA. http://www.chefcmac.com/webpage/Bio.html Shortly after, she returned to LA as part of the opening team at Bouchon in Beverly Hills for celebrated chef, Thomas Keller. Here she met her fiance, Robert Hohmann, who opened the restaurant as executive sous chef http://losangeles.grubstreet.com/2009/11/interview_with_bouchon_chef_de.html.
Recently Machamer and Hohmann have relocated to the Napa Valley, where Hohmann serves as the new chef at Michael Chiarello's Michael Chiarello
Bottega in Yountville, CA http://www.uncork29.com/blog/2011/03/20/napa-valley-nuggets-bottega-expands-velo-vino-soft-launches/.
Machmer has found a new niche bridging the gap between food and wine at the much celebrated B Cellars, http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2011/04/19/calistogas-b-winery-sizzles-with-new-hell’s-kitchen-chef-christina-machamer/ in Calistoga, CA. Machamer and Hohmann are planning their wedding this summer at their home in Napa, CA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
who won the fourth season
Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 4)
Season 4 of the American competitive reality television series Hell's Kitchen began airing on the Fox Network starting on April 1, 2008. The show was originally planned to air later in the season, but instead was aired as a replacement for shows that were affected by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of...
of Fox Network's reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
cooking show Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen (U.S.)
Hell's Kitchen is an American reality-television cooking competition broadcast on Fox...
. She was awarded a chef position at Gordon Ramsay's
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
new London West Hollywood restaurant where she earned a $250,000 yearly salary.
Early life
Christina, the daughter of Rick and Leasa Machamer, was born and raised in St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and began working in restaurants at age 16. She graduated from Lafayette High School in 2000 and after some time in college, she dropped out of pre-law
Pre-law
In the United States, pre-law refers to any course of study taken by an undergraduate in preparation for study at a law school.The American Bar Association requires law schools that it approves to require at least a bachelor's degree for North American students for admission...
and decided that cooking was her calling in life. After an apprenticeship with chef Larry Forgione at An American Place, she began her formal training at Forest Park Community College in 2003. She moved onto the Culinary Institute of America
Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America is a non-profit culinary college located in Hyde Park USA, founded in 1946. The CIA also has branch campuses in St. Helena, California, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as a campus in Singapore. It is a not-for-profit academic institution of higher learning...
in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
, New York in the spring of 2006 and graduated February 29, 2008.
At the Culinary Institute, she graduated at the top of her class.
Hell's Kitchen
Machamer decided to apply to Hell's Kitchen after watching season 3. She went to the open audition in Manhattan and was called back for a screen test. The casting director thought she was "hilarious."Machamer was the contestant with the least amount of cooking experience and was repeatedly nominated for elimination, mostly due to what her peers described as a threatening intellect. Despite all this, she broke the standing record for number of challenges won with 9 wins and finished as the final competitor, defeating the season's runner-up, Louis Petrozza. What most impressed Ramsay was her special potential, something he did not see nearly enough of in any of the other contestants. After winning, Machamer had the choice of accepting her $250,000 prize money at once or earning it as a paycheck for working a year at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant.
After Hell's Kitchen
Although promised the position of executive chef at the new Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood restaurant, Machamer, as the winning contestant, was instead given the position of senior chef under executive chef Andy Cook.While waiting for the show to be aired and permission to disclose her win, Machamer worked at Revival, a restaurant in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
started by her mentor, chef Cary McDowell.
Together with Lemieux, Machamer began BCBC Blends, a small artisan spice company that has recently been launched nationally.
Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood was awarded a Michelin Star in the 2009 Michelin Guide
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
. As of early 2009, Machamer is the executive sous chef at the London West Hollywood, where she works nearly 14 hours a day and is also charged with supervising the kitchen's various stations.
Machamer will be blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ging for BuddyTV.com after each episode of season 5 and has recently completed her sommelier
Sommelier
A sommelier , or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching...
diploma in wine service.
In January 2009, she was featured as a host at the St. Louis Food & Wine Experience.
Since being invested with celebrity status from her win, Machamer has been invited to a number of culinary events. She and 2007 Hell's Kitchen season winner Rock Harper
Rahman “Rock” Harper
Rahman “Rock” Harper is a chef, television personality and restauranteur. Rock is known for winning the third season of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen-Early life:...
competed in a cookoff and both will be among those presenting at the 2009 Scottsdale Culinary Festival in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
After Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood was sold back to LXR hotels, Machamer traveled to Napa to study wine at CIA Greystone in St. Helena, CA. http://www.chefcmac.com/webpage/Bio.html Shortly after, she returned to LA as part of the opening team at Bouchon in Beverly Hills for celebrated chef, Thomas Keller. Here she met her fiance, Robert Hohmann, who opened the restaurant as executive sous chef http://losangeles.grubstreet.com/2009/11/interview_with_bouchon_chef_de.html.
Recently Machamer and Hohmann have relocated to the Napa Valley, where Hohmann serves as the new chef at Michael Chiarello's Michael Chiarello
Michael Chiarello
Michael Chiarello is an American celebrity chef specializing in Italian-influenced California cuisine. He hosts the cooking show, Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, on the Food Network and hosts NapaStyle on the Fine Living Network...
Bottega in Yountville, CA http://www.uncork29.com/blog/2011/03/20/napa-valley-nuggets-bottega-expands-velo-vino-soft-launches/.
Machmer has found a new niche bridging the gap between food and wine at the much celebrated B Cellars, http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2011/04/19/calistogas-b-winery-sizzles-with-new-hell’s-kitchen-chef-christina-machamer/ in Calistoga, CA. Machamer and Hohmann are planning their wedding this summer at their home in Napa, CA.