Paul Ainsworth joins Gordon Ramsay on new ITV series Next Level Chef

Paul Ainsworth and Gordon Ramsay are to star alongside American celebrity chef, Nyesha Arrington, in a new eight-part series on ITV1 and ITVX.

Next Level Chef will begin on 11 January at 9pm and see the judges put 12 aspiring chefs through their paces in a series of culinary challenges.

Contestants will be eliminated week by week in a bid to win £100,000 and a year-long mentorship under all three industry heavyweights.

The programme will take place in a 50ft-tall three-storey kitchen, ranging from a basement kitchen to a luxury space, which will force contestants to prove they can cook in any environment.

Participants will be given just seconds to grab ingredients to cook with and then only minutes to create their final dish to present to the judges.

Ainsworth said: “It is an absolute honour to share the stage with long-term friend and role model, Gordon Ramsay, who I have respected since my days working together at three Michelin-starred restaurant Royal Hospital Road in 2000.

“I can’t wait to show what we have been working on for the last year and to support but challenge our amazing contestants through the show. The Next Level Chef winning prize will be life changing for whichever deserving chef makes it through, and it’s a privilege to be playing a part in that.”

Before joining the internationally recognised show, Ainsworth launched a podcast Knives, Forks and Tunes with Warner Music.

Ainsworth runs the Ainsworth Collection in Cornwall, comprising of Michelin-starred Paul Ainsworth at No6, Caffè Rojano, the Mariners Public House and boutique hotel Padstow Townhouse.

Next Level Chef first aired in the US on Fox in January 2022 before making its way to the UK.