What Hell's Kitchen Winner Kimberly Ann Ryan Is Doing Now

Chef Kimberly Ann Ryan took the viewers and judges of Hell's Kitchen on a fun ride when she won the show's 16th season on account of her extraordinary culinary skills and her sheer determination to make the best of the opportunity. The chef is from Traverse City, Michigan and before she became a part of the show, she worked as an event chef. 

Ryan's journey wasn't easy though. According to a piece by Eater, the chef is a single mom who fought against all odds to get good enough to compete on the show. After winning the competition, she said,"Everything was worth it. I went so far, I worked so hard to push myself through culinary school, to be a single mom. I'm so thankful. I'm proud of myself." Judge Gordon Ramsay complimented Ryan and said that she was someone who was really difficult to beat.

But now that the competition is in the rear view mirror, you might be curious about what Ryan is up to now. Here's your answer.

After her impressive performance on the show, Ryan decided to work as a head chef, leading the way at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar at The Venetian in Las Vegas (via Gold Derby). The chef also started posting regularly on Instagram, sharing cooking and general life updates with her fans. Unfortunately, this year Ryan went through a particularly difficult patch when she contracted COVID-19.

She wrote on Twitter about her ordeal in September: "...I have been avoiding making this post, but I pride myself on being perfectly real and open and honest on social media, especially in days of late. As most of you know, I have been insanely sick on and off since getting #covid back in March," she tweeted before describing how difficult the experience was for her. The chef has been slowly recovering and getting back on track, though her illness and being out of work has made things difficult for her financially, which is something she shared on Instagram in early December.