Next Level Chefwrapped up its fourth season with a winner that produced two firsts for the culinary competition: The first male to take the title and the first win for a member ofRichard Blais' team. The chef who earned those honors was 30-year-oldAustin Beckettfrom Freeburg, IL, who now resides in Florida. His winning theme was: My Culinary Travels on a Plate and his menu consisted of: –Butter poached red shrimp with ouzo butter and crispy leaks–Crispy skin salmon with glazed carrots and a macadamia nut romesco–Ribeye with caramelized onion puree finished with cream Austin, who had been riveted to Seasons 1 and 2 ofNext Level Chefbut couldn't watch Season 3 because it aired while Season 4 was filming, said after studying the previous seasons that his strategy was not to have a strategy. "Most chefs that go in with this idea of this is what I'm doing," Austin toldParade. "It's like shackles. They prohibit themselves from developing open-mindedness." 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Austin, a graduate of the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago, has worked hard to get to this level in his career, and has definite plans for his $250,000 prize money. "Short-term, I'm definitely going to start a traveling pop-up, which will eventually become a stationary one, so getting equipment, getting a small property," the winning chef says. "This is a concept that I have had in my mind way before the show, so for the past couple of years I've been working towards this goal, so this is going to help me get there quicker." He is also going to save some of the money and invest it to grow for his long-term goals down the road. With that in mind, he plans to mine his one-year mentorship withGordon Ramsay,Nyesha ArringtonandRichard Blaisto the max. "I think I'm going to run them harder than any winner ever has, I can promise that," Austin says. "They have years of experience, they are all building empires that are going to withstand a lifetime, so [I want to know] how did you do that?" Nyesha will be especially helpful in that area because she has a background in the same type of cuisine that Austin is trying to focus on, wood-fired Southeast Asian dishes. "I want to use live wood fire, South American-style cooking techniques, which is called asado, but I want to go from my heart, which would be Southeast Asian-style dishes, cooking, and flair, so combining those two." Related:Next Level ChefSeason 4 Results Tonight: Who Survived the Semi-Final Eliminations? That said, without some excellent coaching from Richard, Austin might not be the current winner. "Chef Blais and I have similar cooking styles," Austin says. "We're always bouncing around, we're never in one place, we're serious but we also know when to lighten up and have fun. So that dynamic, that mutual understanding of how to act in a kitchen, really calmed me down. "He also has that perfect amount of push, that ebb and flow, he sees, through kitchen and culinary experience, if you're down bad, or in the kitchen we say, if you're in the weeds, he can tell. If you're not, he takes a step back and he lets you do your thing, but if he can tell that you're struggling, he knows when to jump in and he knows the right advice to give." Related:Richard Blais on HowNext Level ChefWill Serve Up Tears, Emotion and Anger as Well as Great Food in Season 3 And on a final note, Austin explains that his competition with 18-year-oldBeatriceHeirigsfrom Flagstaff, AZ, was overplayed in the editing. "I think they made it look like she was getting under my skin far more than she was," he says. "Beatrice and I had a very decent relationship. It was all play; it was all joking. Did it irritate me? Well, absolutely. But at the end of the day, we all did what we had to do to try and win. I chose a different path, she took her path, and my path, obviously, was the better one." Next Level Chefhas already been given the greenlight for Season 5, which will air on FOX as part of its 2025-2026 season. If you missed Season 4, it is available to stream on Hulu. Also, look forNext Level Baker,a four-episode holiday special later this fall, which will test the skills of bakers as they are challenged to create eye-popping, festive holiday delights across the franchise's three iconic kitchen levels. Next,FOX Announces Its Fall 2025-2026 Schedule
