Watch Party set for Rec Room

By Janet Gramza

After 15 episodes that sent all but three of 27 chefs home since January, the season finale of Fox’s “Next Level Chef with Gordon Ramsay” is here, and Buffalo Chef Darian Bryan is among the top three competing to win it all on Thursday, May 21.

The chef who wins the finale scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday receives a $250,000 prize and a year of one-on-one mentoring from celebrity chef Ramsay. Bryan’s fans will be cheering him on at a free watch party starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Rec Room, 79 W. Chippewa St., Buffalo. The party will display the show on wide screens and offer food and drinks for purchase.

The event is almost full. Only 120 of 550 slots remain at the sign-up site, Partiful.

Read The Buffalo Hive’s profile story on Darian Bryan HERE.

In previous episodes, Bryan — known in Buffalo as the Jamaican restauranteur who also cooks for the Buffalo Bills — has emerged as a clear contender for the top spot, wowing Ramsay and the other two celebrity chef mentors and judges, Richard Blais and Nyesha Arrington, with his culinary skills and creativity on the fly. For Episode 16, it’s down to Bryan and chefs Cole Lawson and Connor Caine.

Bryan actually filmed in the series last fall over five weeks in Ireland, so of course, the outcome is already determined. Bryan and his wife and business partner, Jessica, have had to keep mum about how he fared for the past six months to avoid spoilers.

So the question is, would Chef Darian hold a watch party for 550 of his fans if he didn’t win it all? Actually, despite his “boasty” personality, he is humble enough to do just that. He grew up poor in rural Jamaica and built his chef career and reputation from the ground up after immigrating to Buffalo in 2012. The Buffalo Hive published his in-depth story last month. Read it  here.

Since filming “Next Level Chef,” Bryan has been developing an instant version of his Caribbean porridge that he hopes will give instant outmeal a run for your breakfast money.

The Bryans also recently announced plans to open their third restaurant, Reserve Steakhouse by Chef Darian, which will reimagine the former Eckl’s@Larkin steakhouse in Buffalo’s Larkinville neighborhood. The up-and-coming area is also home to his other two establishments, the Jerk Hut and Bratt’s Hill.

Bryan has always said that he wants to inspire other immigrants and “people who look like me” that they can succeed – especially if they are lucky enough to live in a place that calls itself the City of Good Neighbors.

Janet Gramza has more than 30 years experience in journalism and is a veteran of The (Syracuse) Post-Standard and The Buffalo News.