'Hell's Kitchen' has 2 Hudson Valley chefs vying for title

Wednesday March 13, 2013 1:00 PM By Chris Serico

Photo credit: Ray Mickshaw/Fox | Amanda Giblin of Pine Bush, Orange County, has appeared on season 11 of "Hell's Kitchen."

"Hell's Kitchen" returned for its 11th season last night, and among the 20 contestants vying for the reality TV title are Dan Ryan of Hartsdale and Amanda Giblin of Pine Bush.

Both remain in the running after last night's premiere, which ended with host Gordon Ramsey sending home Brooklyn sous chef Sebastian Royo.

Ryan's Facebook page, which has him hailing from Hartsdale, describes him as an "Army Vet, former DJ, housekeeper and everything in between." And in his "Hell's Kitchen" bio, the sautée cook for X2O in Yonkers says he has "never taken [cooking] too seriously," which could incur Ramsey's wrath in the near future.

Newsday Westchester has additional incentive to root for Ryan, since he gave us a shout-out on Twitter while promoting Hudson Valley Restaurant Week.

@newsdayny Thanks for the follow! Come see me at X20 for Hudson valley restaurant week!

— Chef Dan Ryan (@chefDanRyan) March 13, 2013

According to Giblin's LinkedIn page, the Pine Bush resident has a résumé that includes stints at The Derby in Poughkeepsie and the Hudson Water Club in West Haverstraw. Her "Hell's Kitchen" bio says she already has learned from that experience. "In order to be a successful chef, you must have standards, consistency and the fire to fight back," she's quoted as saying. "Also, it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish."

And while Giblin hasn't tweeted to Newsday Westchester just yet, we'll give her a pass, since her Twitter account only has one post to date. And, to be fair, it's about last night's "Hell's Kitchen" episode.

Thanks for all the love #blessed #redteam

— Amanda Giblin (@AmandaGHK11) March 13, 2013

Here's hoping Ryan and Giblin fare better than their local counterparts from the most recent season of "Top Chef." Jeffrey Jew and Danyele McPherson both attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, but Jew was eliminated in the first week of regular competition, and McPherson finished in 11th place.

One final serving of local connections to recent reality TV cooking competitions: Last night, Anthony Bourdain, who attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America,  helped crown Khristianne Uy as the winner of the first season of "The Taste."

Tags: Hartsdale , Pine Bush , Dan Ryan , Amanda Giblin , Hell's Kitchen , Poughkeepsie , West Haverstraw , Yonkers , Westchester , Rockland , Hudson Valley , TV , reality TV