'Kitchen Captain' speaks to kids | Local News

Hinsdale, NH — Chef Kevin de Chenes, also known as Chef D, recently returned to his alma mater, Hinsdale Middle School, to speak to middle school students. Chenes graduated from the school in 1993 and has visited the school several times over the past few years to help students.

“It's great to be back. I spent my childhood here and then I've done a lot over the last 30 years, so it's just amazing to be back here and talk to the kids and be in my shoes and be in their shoes,” De Chenes said during a visit on May 31.

The students asked him questions about his background and whether he had ever worked with Gordon Ramsay, to which De Chene said Ramsay was a great person to work with and talked about having served as head chef for other organisations and celebrities.

He also talked about the simple, delicious meals his mother and grandmother cooked for him when he was growing up.

“It wasn't just about food,” he said, “it was about hours of talking around the table with my family.”

Des Chenes said he carries that sentiment into his professional life as a “celebrity chef.”

“It's not just about the food and the service, it's about making it an enjoyable experience,” he said.

During his 25 years in the industry, de Chenes has received numerous accolades, including being named Las Vegas Food & Wine's “Top Chef” and winner of “Top Celebrity Chef Showdown.” He has worked as a chef-expert on Gordon Ramsay's “Hotel Hell,” appeared on “Beat Bobby Flay” and appeared in six episodes of “The Great Food Truck Race.” He has also cooked for numerous celebrities, including Tommy Lee Jones, John Legend, Isaiah Thomas, and players and coaches for the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox.

De Chenes worked his way up from short order cook to sous chef and eventually executive chef at restaurants in New Hampshire, Boston and Rhode Island.

As a high school athlete, De Chenes said he also learned the importance of working as part of a team, something he said is essential to his job. He told the students he was part of some great teams in Hinsdale sports history, and being captain of those teams made him want to be a captain in the kitchen, too.