Dave Levy emerged as the victor on Hell’s kitchen Season 6, and there is curiosity surrounding what happened to the winner after the season. As the winner, Dave earned the usual $250,000, along with an intended head chef position at the posh Araxi Restaurant & Bar, which is situated in the beautiful city of Whistler, British Columbia. There is curiosity about Dave’s life after the show, which was filmed in 2009.
in Hell’s kitchen Season 6, Dave stood out as a charismatic, confident and multi-talented chef. After fracturing his wrist while completing a truck-cleaning penalty, it seemed unlikely that he would continue, much less stand out in such a competitive group. Dave impressed everyone by performing well with only one fully functional hand. Thanks to his grit and perseverance, Ramsay nicknamed him The “One armed bandit.” Ultimately, Dave defeated his final opponent, Kevin, and came out on top.
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Dave Levey’s Araxi is a success after Hell’s Kitchen
But Dave is not working there anymore
Immediately following his victory in 2009, Dave traveled to Whistler to accept his head chef position. With the well-known ski town preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics, much is needed to get Araxi Ready for the anticipated large crowds. When Dave arrived, he was surprised to learn that the position was somewhat different than the head chef job. He was offered a line cook position instead. Due to this news, Dave left his role at Araxi shortly after the Olympics ended.
Dave is off the grid after Hell’s Kitchen
He prefers to live out of the public eye
Originally hired from Chester, New Jersey, Dave returned to his home state after leaving Whistler. Although his social media presence is either hidden or non-existent, there were rumbles that he worked as a baker at Mara’s Café & Bakery in Denville, New Jersey. It is unclear if he is still an employee in 2024.
Except these Hell’s kitchen Culinary career alum, Dave has also spoken publicly about his experiences while hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2005. In 2014, he was arrested as part of a drug bust. Soon after, he was confirmed and he was released.
Fans discuss Dave’s journey on the series with Chef Ramsay
While Dave is lying low, fans have weighed in on his Hell’s kitchen Experience. In a thread started by Changschooltmu, Most commentators were impressed by how Dave stuck it out after injuring his arm. However, they did not necessarily believe that he deserves to win his Hell’s kitchen Series. Sometimes, life asks a lot of people and when Dave was forced to push himself to do his best, he did not fall. That says a lot about him. However, one viewer wrote:
I would have been cool with either winning, and they are two of my favorites from what might be my favorite season.
That said, everything you wrote was why Kevin was more driven and motivated as an entrepreneur, so I think it was a foregone conclusion that he would be hungry to build the restaurant empire he seems to have done.
Dave is great, but also happy with his little mom and pop bakery breakfast joint. Nothing wrong with that. Just two different career goals and trajectories.
While Dave gained respect, he was perceived as too laid back to handle such a high-pressure job. This may not be an inaccurate opinion in light of the fact that he no longer works at Araxi. Clearly, he prefers to make other choices, or perhaps leaving is not his decision. For whatever reason, he moved on.
Dave’s decision to avoid public life also shows that he craves normality rather than fame. It would be easy for him to maintain an online presence and leave Hell’s kitchen Fans know what he is up to. He doesn’t want to and that’s fine. Maybe he found himself after winning his season – the lifestyle he had on the show and in Araxi couldn’t have made him happy.
Another fan noted Dave’s victory, echoing the opinion that maybe the wrong victor was chosen.
Kevin is probably the real winner anyway, as much as I love Dave. Kevin runs his own restaurants while Dave won a line cook position which he left and got arrested for drug possession I believe, now he doesn’t do too much as far as I know
There is some logic in this. Kevin has real experience, showing genuine passion for the day in and day out work of running eateries. He was a self-starter who made the most of his dreams by opening his own restaurants. However, the commenter above is low by commenting on Dave’s drug arrest.
When Dave was arrested, it was pretty serious. One of the drugs he was in possession of was heroin. There is an opiate epidemic in the USA and elsewhere. It is a major problem. While living with addiction may have changed Dave, sapping his strength, he gains compassion. Nobody wants to have this issue. Sometimes, it just happens. .
As far as Araxi Restaurant & Bar goes, it continues to thrive. Executive Chef James Walt currently runs a destination restaurant, The Kitchen at Araxi. According to the official Araxi The website, Chef Walt focuses on seasonal menus with locally sourced ingredients. In 2016, Araxi published his second cookbook, which Chef Walt curated: Araxi: Roots to Protection, Farm Fresh Recipes.
The restaurant was open most of the time throughout the pandemic, and staff members strictly adhered to social distancing guidance from healthcare authorities. Dave parted ways with Araxi Restaurant in 2010, one year after his Hell’s kitchen Win. Fortunately, the former reality star and the restaurant continued to do well.
Hell’s kitchen is streaming on Hulu.
Sources: Araxi, Araxi/ Instagram, Changschooltmu/reddit