It could be said that validation begins with ourselves. Take Hell’s Kitchen Cheftestant and second runner up, Mary Lou Davis for instance. Davis says, “competing against a bunch of different chefs with extensive resumes” and “more experience and expertise” made her nervous but, “once I fell into my groove, I started to win challenges!” And winning the challenges, almost effortlessly, validated her as a top contender and a Gordon Ramsey favorite. She was the first chef awarded the coveted Black Jacket, cementing her spot in the FINAL six!
Despite feeling unsure in the beginning, Davis says “staying true” to herself was the key to her success in the competition. “After I got the hang of it” she told herself, “No Mary, don’t get nervous”, and with that she delivered the Mary Lou that everybody loves: the fun, cos-playing, purple tressed, witty chef, in addition she started plating southern comfort dishes that the judges and Ramsey obviously found delicious. Which is how she found herself as one of two remaining finalists turning the handle to potentially opening the door to the job of many chefs’ dreams.
Although Davis’ door did not open, some personal doors did.
“I’m very happy with the place that I got, I’m very satisfied with it. It was very bittersweet but I accomplished something for myself.” “I let the world see, you can cook, you can get things done, and you can run a kitchen.”
With the support of her Mom and the city, expect to see Mary make more of a social media presence by using her YouTube channel @geeksandgrub to showcase her passions for cosplay and cooking.
She is ready to be a pretty faced chef, and since validating herself on national television she refuses to let anyone take her and put her in a box.
Watch the complete interview:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CO1BIfGlKPE