Euphemia Haye chef to appear in the hot seat

Here are a few ingredients that flavor Jamie Gregorich’s cooking.

There’s her mother, who was her first inspiration in the kitchen.

“She’s such a good cook, and she makes everything from scratch,” said Gregorich, 24, noting that if she had to pick a last meal, it would be her mom’s spaghetti and meatballs.

There’s Ray Arpke, the chef/proprietor of Euphemia Haye, where Gregorich works as a chef.

“Chef Ray is very passionate,” she said. “He cares about each one of us individually.”

And, now, for Gregorich, who will appear on the red team in season nine of FOX’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” there’s a new flavor: famed British TV personality and chef Gordon Ramsay, whose temper on television is even hotter than his restaurants.

“Ramsay’s very passionate as well,” she said. “He just shows it like a military sergeant, teaching us how hard he can push us.”

Gregorich became a fan of “Hell’s Kitchen” after watching the first two seasons. (She had never been a fan of other food shows, but this one seemed the most “real” to her.)

For three or four years, her friends told her she could be a contestant. Finally, when auditions were held in Miami, she tried out — and after months of interviews, she was cast in season nine, which premieres Monday, July 18.

Filming lasted five weeks, and according to Gregorich, the cameras never stopped rolling.

“It was very, very strange at first,” Gregorich said. “But once you get used to it, you forget that they’re there.”

Although Gregorich can’t reveal how she fared in the competition, she can share a few of the lessons Ramsay taught her.

“Never give up,” she said. “Don’t let other people hold you back on anything you’re trying to accomplish. And respect the food you work with.”

And she can also reveal something about Ramsay that the cameras seldom show.

“He has a hilarious side,” Gregorich said. “He’s a very funny person.”

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].

TUNE IN
‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Season Nine Premiere
When: 8 p.m. Monday, July 18
Where: FOX network
Information: fox.com/hellskitchen
One to watch: According to FOX’s website, Jamie Gregorich’s signature dish is lollipop lamb chop with red onion confiture. Gregorich, one of two contestants from Florida, will face off with 17 other contestants.