DAN'S PAPERS, July 31, 2009 Page 23 www.danshamptons.com
Who’s Here By Tiffany Razzano In an unprecedented move, the reality cooking competition “Hell’s Kitchen’s” outspoken and often snarky celebrity chef and show creator Gordon Ramsay has given a competitor from a previous season a second chance. Robert Hesse, a fourth generation resident of Quogue, was invited back to compete on the newest season of the show, after he was forced to drop out towards the end of Season 5 due to health issues. Ramsay surprised Hesse and his wife with the news during the Season 6 premiere, when he invited the couple to what was supposedly a special anniversary dinner. Hesse was thrown back into the action immediately. “I had no idea it was going to happen,” he said. “I had no bags packed or anything.” Hesse promises an extremely entertaining season for fans of the show, which airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox. “There’s definitely a lot of drama,” he said. “A lot of crazy stuff happens — a lot of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs.’” Many of the competitors this season were resentful of Hesse’s previous experience on the show, as well as his rapport with Ramsay. But Hesse ignored the negativity and focused on the task at hand — the competition and ultimate prize of the position of head chef at Araxi Restaurant in British Columbia. And he used his prior experience to his advantage. “I knew a little bit more than the others. I knew what to expect — the hours, the stress, the yelling. Now when [Ramsay] is yelling, it’s like water off a duck’s back. The others get rattled up.” Last season, Hesse was a favorite of fans, as well as of Ramsay’s, to win the competition. When he announced he was leaving with only a few episodes left, after discovering he was suffering from a condition called pericarditis, Ramsay told Hesse he was disappointed to see him leave because he thought he could take first place. “It’s like you’re playing [basketball] with Michael Jordan and he tells you that you have a sweet jump shot,” Hesse said. After his untimely departure, many fans wrote into the show begging producers to give Hesse another shot, and Ramsay knew he needed to bring him back on board. Not that Hesse has been sitting around idly since Season 5. Over Memorial Day weekend, he opened his new restaurant, Georgica Restaurant and Lounge in Wainscott, just about two weeks after the season finale. He’s seen the establishment quickly rise through the ranks and become a Hamptons hotspot. The former head chef at Q in Quogue, Hesse takes on the role of co-executive chef with his former Season 5 “Hell’s Kitchen” competitor and friend, Seth Levine, who has worked in Manhattan and also as a personal chef in the Hamptons prior to the show. “It’s unusual to have two chefs open a restaurant together,” Hesse said. “Usually you’d have two egos that get in the way.” However, he said, the two are a great match. “He’s chic and I’m more street.
Robert Hesse, Chef
opportunity. It was also a chance for him to bring his unique brand of comfort fine dining to the Hamptons. “It’s a perfect mesh with the Hamptons. There’s something for everyone. The food is simplistic, familiar, yet very elegant. “You could have Mariah Carey eating in the corner, and Joe the Plumber might be on the other side of the room,” he continued. “It’s designed to fit everybody’s budget. I don’t care who I cook for, rich or poor, I’m more focused on the food. The same plate of food goes to whomever ordered it, celebrities or not.” Hesse’s goal was to offer a wide range of tempting dishes, keeping in mind what he himself would most want to order at a restaurant. “Most Hamptons restaurants have only one or two things I’d want to eat. There’s nowhere that I say, ‘Oh I want to order this, this and this.’” His goal was to create a menu that would leave diners wanting more, bringing them back to try different dishes. With the short lead time to open the restaurant, Hesse wasn’t sure if it could all come together in time. “I came on board and when I first walked into this place, it was destroyed,” he said. “I thought, ‘This will never be done in three weeks.’” But he concentrated on the menu, leaving the physical renovation and business aspects up to those financing the project. Then, after returning from a three-day trip to Florida, he was blown away by what he saw. “The place was transformed. I couldn’t believe it.” He added, “Money talks and B.S. walks. You can get anything done if you’ve got it.” Since the opening, Georgica has received a lot of press and great reviews, drawing mostly a young trendy crowd, including celebrities Nick Cannon and Molly Sims. Alexandra Richards, Keith Richards’ daughter, popped by one Saturday night to take on the role of guest DJ. Last weekend, Hesse threw a “Hell’s Kitchen” party, with contestants from Season 5 and 6 showing up. Hesse has been recognized and lauded by celebrities, sports stars and food critics, as well as the public, including workers in Manhattan who popped up out of manholes to give him a thumbs up. While he’s enjoyed the attention, he knows it won’t last forever but that doesn’t ultimately matter since, for Hesse, it’s all about the food. A self-described “big guy” (on the show he weighed about 400 pounds, but lost about 60 since then) who is “rough around the edges” and covered in tattoos, Hesse said he’s constantly surprising people who might initially judge him based on his looks. “They do a double take when they come back to meet the chef. But you can’t judge a book by its cover,” he said. Hesse used this underdog quality to inadvertently win over viewers. “Why do I think I had so many fans? I think people saw themselves in me, an average Joe, a blue collar guy just trying to make it.”
When Hesse dropped out of “Hell’s Kitchen” last season, Ramsay said he was disappointed because he thought Hesse could take first place. Together we’re a perfect complement.” Because Season 6 was filmed months ago, Hesse has known all along that he would be back on the show, but had to keep mum according to the show’s confidentiality agreement. But when asked if his appearing on Season 6 had anything to do with Georgica having two head chefs — a rarity in the restaurant world — Hesse cryptically said, “Well, it could mean that I knew I won… or not, you never know.” Though the show expressly forbid contestants from discussing business ventures during filming as the season aired, Hesse said the two still managed to sneak in discussions as the camera was rolling. Just weeks before the season finale aired, Levine, a former Wall Street trader from Great Neck, called Hesse about teaming up with him at Georgica — a month before the restaurant was set to open. At the time, Hesse was working on plans to open his own restaurant on Main Street in Sayville, but quickly changed gears. Initially, he had been hoping to avoid the Hamptons scene, but decided he couldn’t turn down the