Freeburg Native Declared Winner of Next Level Chef

Freeburg native declared winner of Next Level Chef

FREEBURG, Ill. - Austin Beckett is the newest winner of Next Level Chef and his hometown community of Freeburg, Illinois, could not be prouder.  The 32-year-old cook told FOX 2 he began teaching himself to cook as a kid when his mom and dad were often away at work. “When I was at my friend’s houses, I saw how other moms cooked, and I saw what I never had,” Beckett said previously. “A family moment I never had that was communal and centered aroun…

‘I felt like an executioner’: ‘Next Level Chef’ winner Austin Beckett reflects on his historic victory

"I didn't want to be the first guy to win and be the only winner to cry," says Austin Beckett, who made history on Next Level Chef as the first male winner and the first member from Team Richard Blais to take home the Fox cooking competition’s top prize. Austin defeated Team Gordon Ramsay's Beatrice Heirigs and his own teammate, Megan Keno, in the Season 4 finale after cooking a three-course meal worth $250,000 and a one-year mentorship with Gor…