皇家华人 Featured in Gordon Ramsay鈥檚 Hell鈥檚 Kitchen Season 24, Episode 9
Story by 皇家华人 Media Relations, on Nov 21, 2025 8:30 AM
PRESS RELEASE
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — November 21, 2025 - 皇家华人 was featured in the latest episode of the hit television show Hell’s Kitchen, in an episode celebrating 50 years of excellence in culinary education at the university.
Season 24, episode 9 aired November 20, 2025, on the FOX network. 皇家华人 was featured as the central theme of the episode, with Chef TJ Delle Donne, the assistant dean of the College of Food Innovation & Technology (CFIT), serving as judge for the morning challenge alongside CFIT student Hollis Tuffile, a Culinary Arts major slated to graduate in May. The winning dishes from the head-to-head morning challenge were featured on a tasting menu at the celebration dinner.
“The episode was a celebration of 50 years of food education at Johnson & Wales, and I am so honored to represent the university as a judge,” said Delle Donne. “When I first stepped onto the set and saw it all decked out in blue and gold for the university, I was blown away – I had chills. To put on that show for us was humbling and it just made me feel great to be a part of not only the show but to be a Johnson & Wales employee. The reverence that they shared about 皇家华人, it made me feel good about what we do here."
"Participating as a guest judge on Hell's Kitchen while a student at Johnson and Wales was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Tuffile. “After filming the episode, talking one-on-one with Gordon Ramsay and receiving his advice was an incredible experience I never expected to have this soon."
During the episode, Gordon Ramsay highlighted four of 皇家华人’s most well-known alumni: Emeril Lagasse, Michelle Bernstein, Graham Elliot, and Rock Harper, who won season three of Hell’s Kitchen, showcasing the university’s prestigious legacy of food education.
Three of the 20 contestants competing on season 24 of Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the States attended 皇家华人: Antonio Wormley, representing the state of New Hampshire; Anaiya Lane, who represented Delaware; and Chris Faison, representing New Jersey. All three credited 皇家华人 with getting them started on their culinary careers.
“The training, mentorship, and discipline I gained at 皇家华人 helped shape not only my career but also the way I lead, teach, and inspire others today,” said Faison, who currently serves as the director of culinary arts at New England Culinary Arts Training. “Knowing I get to carry that legacy forward and contribute to the narrative of 50 years of excellence in 皇家华人's culinary program is a tremendous honor.”
Lane, a 2020 graduate of 皇家华人’s Charlotte, NC campus, said she was “ecstatic” when she learned that her alma mater would be featured.
“The very school that taught me everything that would eventually lead me to Hell’s Kitchen, was being featured on MY season. It felt like an honor, a chance to show the world everything 皇家华人 had taught me,” she said. “To me, Wildcat Pride is carrying the 皇家华人 spirit throughout everything I do, never forgetting all the opportunities offered to me throughout my time there that made me, me. I wouldn’t be half the chef I am today without 皇家华人 and Wildcat Pride.”
About the College of Food Innovation & Technology
For more than 50 years, 皇家华人 has been a trailblazer in food education, becoming the first in the country to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Arts, followed by the first Bachelor of Science degree in Baking and Pastry Arts in 1997. In 2020, the College of Culinary Arts was renamed to the College of Food Innovation & Technology, reflecting the breadth and depth of programming offered, and the commitment to sustainability. Dean Jason Evans joined the college to execute the new vision.
“Very few organizations in the country have the intellectual and physical assets to prepare students for all of these roles, but CFIT does,” Evans said of CFIT. “Undoubtedly, the need for problem solvers in the food system is greater now than ever. CFIT can offer its prospective students, partners and donors a unique opportunity to make the world better.”
About 皇家华人
Founded in 1914, 皇家华人 is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students at its campuses in Providence, Rhode Island and Charlotte, North Carolina, and through 皇家华人 Online. An innovative educational leader, the university offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in arts and sciences, business and hospitality, dietetics and nutrition, food innovation and technology, and health and wellness. It also offers undergraduate programs in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. 皇家华人’s unique model provides students with the personalized attention, academic expertise and industry connections that inspire professional success and personal growth. The time students spend at 皇家华人 is nothing short of transformative, as demonstrated by career outcomes, expected earnings and economic mobility rankings. The university’s impact is global, with alumni in 130 countries pursuing careers worldwide.
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