‘Next Level Chef’ Winner Darian Bryan on Staying True to His Roots & the Best Advice He Got From the Coaches

We have a winner. The finale for Next Level Chef Season 5 has finally aired, revealing who of the Top 3 contestants — Darian Bryan, Connor Caine, and Nicole “Cole” Lawson — took home the top honors … and received a much-coveted mentorship with coaches Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais. Warning: The following post contains spoilers for Next Level Chef Season 5’s finale.

All three finalists put on a remarkable showcase of dishes across the three kitchens, but only one could be the season’s champion. And it turned out that, for the trio of judges, Darian told the best story and truly reached the next level with his performance throughout the season.

The Jamaican native certainly stood out throughout the season for multiple reasons. First, he honored his heritage consistently throughout the season, delighting the chefs with his array of Caribbean cuisines. Then, when faced with an elimination challenge, he knocked it out of the park again and continued to shine all the way to the end.

So how did the Team Blais draftee feel about his performance through the season, and what might’ve put him over the top with Connor and Cole? And what else is there to know about his experience on Next Level Chef? TV Insider caught up with Season 5’s winner to find out.

This was your first reality competition series, right?

Darian Bryan: First, yep.

What made this show the right fit for you, competition-wise?

I’m glad you asked that question because I have so much to show and to tell. I’ve done Food Network stuff here and there, and it’s just like one episode, and that’s it. But for people to follow my journey and see where I’m coming from to where I’m at right now, it’s just a blessing to show that. I’m coming from Jamaica with not much, and to come here and get crowned king [laughs] on a stage like this — especially, it’s a Gordon Ramsay show, and he’s been my mentor for the last 15 years of watching him — it’s just a grace.

Lorraine O’Sullivan / Fox

Did you know from the outset that Connor and Cole were going to be your biggest competition?

I knew it from day one, from auditions. The pros went first, and it was eight of us started off in the basement — and the first dish that Connor cooked, I looked at the guy, I’m like, “Yo, you cooked that in 20 minutes? Who are you?” And it’d just keep going up and up, and I see the way Cole’s cooking, I’m like, “You know what? These folks are gonna give me my run for my money.” And I know I can cook, and to be honest, I haven’t seen many people here in Buffalo in my time of cooking in Buffalo to stand up to me and what I do, and these folks are like right there. I’m like, “Wow, you guys can cook.” … Nothing against home cooks and the social media chefs, but I’m like, “I’m not gonna let a social media chef or home cook [beat me] in this competition. You got to be a pro chef, you know?”

You were the first one that was picked in the draft. How much did that help your confidence entering this competition that you got that confirmation so early?

First in the pick in the draft, it was like, “Listen, I made it this far — straight win from here.” Because the first two cooks, to be honest, I went Jamaican, just to secure those spots, because I’m like, “People love the Jamaican flavors.” But then to prove my point now, I went straight to French cuisine… [It was] something I learned from Gordon Ramsay, too. I saw he made this years back on YouTube. I’m like, “You know what? I’m gonna do a venison, and the crème anglaise, a nice cherry demi-glace.” And they saw that, “They’re like, wow, where this comes from? Two Jamaican dishes to something completely different.” I just wanted to show them I’ve got range, you know what I mean?

Definitely. When it was draft time, was there any one coach that you were specifically hoping that you would get?

Yes, so, entering the draft, I’m like, “Please, Ramsay. Please pick me, Chef Ramsay.” Because for years I wanted to meet this man. For years. Could you imagine if I was on his team? And he picked five females, and honestly, that’s cool. “Why he didn’t pick me? You’d have been the winner.” [Laughs.] But I was hoping that Chef Ramsay picked me.

When you finally got to work with him, when it went to the individual competition, how was that for you? Was it like a dream come true?

It’s funny because I was thinking, I’m like, “It’s at the perfect timing for me to get to cook with Gordon Ramsay because it’s one-on-one. It’s individual, so you have all my time and attention.” And it’s something money couldn’t buy. The way we were cooking, we were bonding, it was just like, I feel like we know each other forever. I feel like I’m just talking to a best friend, I just got that feeling. We both love soccer. We both got the injuries and had to stop. He’s all about family, I’m all about family. Cars… It’s just crazy, like, “That’s my guy right there, man.” And I’m so glad I got the opportunity with him.

Did Blais surprise you when you ended up on his team? Did it surprise you how much of a mentor he was for you?

When Blais picked me, I’m like, “Oh, wow, OK, cool.” And to be honest with you, though, he was tough me, but it’s for my own good. He always got something to say about my dish, even though Gordon Ramsay loves it, Nyesha Arrington loved it, he always got something to say, I’m like, “Hey, I’m on your team, come on!” But he just wants to see me do better. And he’s like a dad, like that, they want to see their kids feel better, and I was like his kid at the time, so he’d always want to push me to my fullest potential.

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Lorraine O’Sullivan / Fox

When you guys went to the individual competition, you and Christian [Alquiza] had a little bit of a turf war over the duck. That was the moment the teamwork element just kind of disappeared. Did that make you feel more competitive or more closed off from the others, or what was the effect of that?

That boy, Christian. It’s funny, because in my mindset, we still were a team with each other, we were still brothers. Just me, I love everyone, I want to see everyone win, and I just couldn’t believe that he heard me say I’m making Peruvian, and I want duck, and then he grabbed the duck and start making some Peruvian, and I’m like, “Yo!” I was so confused. “Now, what happened here? We were cool.” But I guess teamwork just left the building, and I mean, there’s no more team anymore, which I understand.  I know there was no more team, but I didn’t expect him to do and say all of that stuff, which is funny because the day after the episode, I was on a treadmill walking at the gym, and he texted me, like, “Hey, just a heads up, they’re gonna have me saying all that stuff about you tonight. It’s all love, and wait ’til people see me and you cooking together, doing pop-ups.” [I’m like], “Man, what are you talking about?” When I watched the episode, I’m like, “Yo, my man was coming at me real hard, man!”

We didn’t see you in the bottom very often, but you did get put into the elimination challenge with the champagne. You didn’t seem scared or worried, but did that kind of light a fire in you to make sure, “I’m not going back here again?”

Oh, when I get sent the elimination, and I told my wife when I went back to go to hotel, I’m like, “Listen, that was one of his scariest feelings. I never, ever want to go back there again.” I’m gonna walk you through the process. So they put you together with the person who you’re going to go up against in this little room, quiet as hell. I’m like, “Yo, this is scary, this is lonely away from everybody else.” Then you gotta go compete against a person. I’m like, “I feel comfortable and confident going in” — not that I didn’t respect Amber [Kellehan]; Amber’s a great chef, she’s a great chef — but I’m like, “Listen, I’m a pro chef, I gotta get this together. Let’s go.”

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In the finale against Connor and Cole. What do you think it was about your dishes that put you over the top?

Against Connor and Cole? My dishes, I feel like there are storylines to my dishes because you gotta have a cohesive menu, and also it’s gotta make sense, you gotta have a great story behind it. And I felt that I have a great story, and my mentors would see my story transitioning from the pepper lobster slash pepper shrimp, we have all throughout the Caribbean, all through Jamaica. You see all those folks on the side of the road selling pepper shrimp, and also the escovitch is something you see everywhere. You go to the beach, escovitch is always on the beach, and then the jerk duck — I almost went to jerk duck, but I didn’t get to do that. I just did a nice pan-roasted duck with the cassava mash, which is super Jamaican, got the plantain chip, then got the tamarind and cherry demi-glace, beautiful cooked duck. I’m like, “This is taking me home. I’m going home.” I’m like, “Yeah, this is taking me into the champion, man. I’m gonna, I’m gonna go home with this one.”

Lorraine O’Sullivan / Fox

Yeah, it wasn’t often that you were expected to kind of diverge from that. Like you said, you chose to with the French dish, and then there was obviously the American classics challenge, or things like that, but most of the time you got to stick to your roots and kind of honor your home and your family, your mom, and your background. How important was it for you that that was part of your win, that you are very much in your wheelhouse the whole time?

What’s important for me to see that this is in my wheelhouse. I’m Jamaican, so this is what I’ve known my whole life. I could have done other cuisine, like French cuisine. I love French cuisine. I could do a French menu, but I’m like, “Ah, cooking French food for Gordon Ramsay? That’s his favorite cuisine. I’m going to stay away from that.” I’m like, “This is what I know. I can do this with my eyes closed, so I’m going straight Jamaican.” And my thing is like, I’d rather go all out with that than do something else I wasn’t comfortable with and be mad at myself the rest of my life. I mean, that’s me on the plate. I went for all Jamaican. “Listen, if I go home tonight not a champion, I feel good, I can sleep knowing that I did my best.” Imagine if I did something else, and then I’d be like, “Man, I should have done Jamaican.” So I’m like, “You know what Gordon Ramsey always tells us, all of us? ‘Play it safe, play it simple, don’t do too much.'” Everybody’s trying to do all this extra stuff on film. He’s like, “Keep it simple, great flavor, protein, and try not to put too much on the plate, because when there’s so much on the plate, there’s so much more to judge.'” And that’s something that stick with me all to my cooks. “Keep it simple.”

That actually dovetails into another question I had, which was just, what kind of feedback or critique or advice did you most take away from these three coaches so far?

So Nyesha, she likes global cuisine. She loves bold flavor and also greens. You’re always missing something green on the plates. So I was, whenever she said that, I’m like, “OK, my next cook, I have to have a green for Nyesha.” Richard Blais now is all about technique and flavors, so I was going to make sure to get great techniques, flavor, and execution. Gordon Ramsay, he’s all about nailing that protein, right? And make sure everything on the plate makes sense. Don’t just put it on the plate because you have it, you gotta make sense.

How has your reaction been at home? I know you have your own restaurant in Buffalo. How has your reaction been from your patrons to seeing you go through this journey?

Man, it’s crazy because the entire city is rooting for me every night. It’s funny because they don’t say they’re watching Next Level Chef, they say they’re watching the Darian show tonight… My restaurant’s been crazy busy. Every night, we’re booked. And I’m so grateful for this show, because it opened so many doors for me.

Next Level Chef, Season 5, Streaming now, Hulu

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