Netflix’s “Next Gen Chef” cooking competition series brings one mid-Hudson Valley college to the global stage: The Culinary Institute of America.
Hundreds of people came together to make it happen, such as Culinary Institute of America students, faculty, staff and the film crew. Two CIA alumni, Kelsey Barnard Clark and Carlton McCoy, are also starring as judges on the show, alongside host Olivia Culpo.
“The show gives an extremely comprehensive look into the life of students as well as the beauty of the campus and the surrounding area,” McCoy said in an email statement.
Timothy Ryan, Culinary Institute of America chancellor who served as executive producer and co-creator of “Next Gen Chef,” said in an email statement the shoot was “long and complicated,” but overall, “it went extraordinarily well.”
“It was the combination of a talented and professional group of executive producers coupled with Netflix — the world’s largest media platform — and the CIA’s deep involvement that made this project so compelling,” Ryan said. “The series was years in the making.”
What is ‘Next Gen Chef’?
In what Netflix has called a “cutthroat” competition, 21 young chefs will work for the title of “generational talent” and a $500,000 prize on “Next Gen Chef.”
The first seven episodes will air on Sept. 17, and the season finale will air on Sept. 24.
Who is Olivia Culpo?
From Cranston, Rhode Island, Olivia Culpo is a former Miss Rhode Island USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe, and is now also the host of Netflix’s “Next Gen Chef.”
A model, actor and influencer, Culpo previously starred in TLC’s “The Culpo Sisters.”
She has also been on a food competition show in the past, serving as a judge on Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen.”
Alongside Culpo, CIA alumni Kelsey Barnard Clark, ’11, a former “Top Chef” winner, and Carlton McCoy, ’06, of “Nomad with Carlton McCoy,” will star as judges on the show.
Meet Carlton McCoy: CIA alumnus and Netflix’s ‘Next Gen Chef’ judge
Carlton McCoy majored in culinary arts at the CIA, graduating in 2006. He said he “feels blessed to have ever been a culinary student there,” adding his time there was life-changing.
He’s taken on many roles since, working in a multitude of “great kitchens and restaurants,” he said, which helped build a foundation for him to evolve into his current career as president and CEO of Lawrence Wine Estates, with a highly regarded Master Sommelier certification.
McCoy said he’ll always be a cook at heart first. Food and cooking have been top priority since he was young and formed a “deep connection” to it, cooking beside his grandmother.
Coming back to his alma mater for “Next Gen Chef,” McCoy said he “was super nervous,” as the school, instructors and Ryan are fairly intimidating.
“I was immediately brought back to being a student and responding to them with ‘Yes, Chef,'” McCoy said. “But ultimately, it was an immense honor. I have such reverence for that school and the people who run it.”
Although slightly nerve-racking, being back on campus was McCoy’s favorite part of starring on “Next Gen Chef,” with the filming process taking him “all over the school.”
All in all, it was “nostalgic” for him, as he reminisced on the days of being a young chef in the “dream world” the CIA was for him. McCoy said the school provided a “focused environment” for him to absorb new information each day.
Many of the faculty involved in “Next Gen Chef” were the chefs he learned from as a student.
“It was a full-circle moment for me,” McCoy said.
In bringing his professional experience to judging “Next Gen Chef,” he said what they were able to do on the show with wine was distinctive, “connecting wine as part of the dining experience through pairing.”
“That’s extremely important for young chefs to understand to develop a great guest experience and run a successful restaurant,” he said.
McCoy noted the participating 21 competitors were chefs on a “spectrum of skill level.” Some of the chefs were “extremely prepared,” while others needed more years of experience, “but that’s how it goes,” he said.
Similar to being a cook, filming a show required him and all involved to “roll with the punches,” he said.
“Producing a series like this is much like working the line. Things change on the fly and you have to adjust,” McCoy said. “I rather enjoy that type of process.”
Meet Kelsey Barnard Clark: CIA alumnus and Netflix’s ‘Next Gen Chef’ judge
Kelsey Barnard Clark majored in culinary arts at the CIA, graduating in 2011.
Now she’s the owner of KBC, an entrepreneur, and has authored three books: “Southern Grit: 100+ Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Cook,” published in 2021; “Southern Get-Togethers,” published in 2024; and “The Flavor of Fire: Recipes for Grilling & Smoking with Southern Flair,” scheduled to be released in 2026.
In 2017, she won Bravo’s “Top Chef,” so she’s no stranger to the food competition show world, but being on the other side of the coin, she said, was “quite different.”
Her previous experience helped her understand the “headspace and pressure” these “Next Gen Chef” competitors were under.
Coming back to the CIA, though, she said she had to “frequently remind” herself what year it was, and got to experience all the campus has to offer over again, as they filmed the show “literally everywhere,” on campus for weeks.
Clark’s experience starring on Netflix’s newest cooking competition show is surreal for her, something she would’ve “only dreamed about” while as a CIA student, and she was able to make this a “learning experience” for herself along the way.
“Everyone involved in the process is the best of the best in their field,” Clark said. “Watching their minds work — whether that was a producer, CIA instructor, chef or talent coordinator — was a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience.”
While judging on the show, Clark noted how “passionate, kind, thoughtful, and talented” the competing chefs were, and how excited she was to see such people forming the next generation.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Who is Olivia Culpo? Meet the host, Culinary Institute alumni on Netflix’s ‘Next Gen Chef’
Reporting by Nickie Hayes, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
