Christina Machamer facts for kids
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| Born | March 13, 1982 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Education | The Culinary Institute of America (2008) |
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Rating(s)
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Current restaurant(s)
B Cellars Winery (Calistoga, California)
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Television show(s)
Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 4)
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Christina Machamer (born March 13, 1982) is an American chef. She became well-known after winning the fourth season of the TV cooking show Hell's Kitchen. This show was on the Fox Network. After her win, she was offered a job as a "senior sous chef" at a new restaurant by Gordon Ramsay. This restaurant was called Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood. She earned a good salary there.
Early Life and Education
Christina Machamer was born and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents are Rick and Leasa Machamer. She started working in restaurants when she was 16 years old.
After finishing Lafayette High School in 2000, she went to college. However, she soon realized that cooking was her true passion. She decided to become a chef instead of studying pre-law.
In 2003, she began her cooking training at Forest Park Community College. Later, in 2006, she moved to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. She finished her studies there on February 29, 2008. Christina was one of the top students in her class at the Culinary Institute.
Competing on Hell's Kitchen
Christina decided to try out for Hell's Kitchen after watching an earlier season. She went to an open audition in Manhattan. After that, she was asked to come back for a screen test.
When she joined the show, Christina was a culinary student. This meant she had less cooking experience than many other contestants. She was nominated for elimination five times during the season. Even so, she won a record nine challenges. She eventually became the winner of her season. Gordon Ramsay was very impressed by her cooking potential.
After winning, Christina had a choice. She could take her $250,000 prize money all at once. Or, she could earn it as a salary by working for a year at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant.
After Hell's Kitchen
Christina was promised the job of executive chef at the new Gordon Ramsay at The London restaurant. However, she was given the position of senior sous chef instead. She worked under the executive chef, Andy Cook.
Before the show aired, Christina worked at Revival. This restaurant was in St. Louis, Missouri and was started by her mentor, chef Cary McDowell.
Christina also started a small spice company called BCBC Blends with Cory Lemieux. They launched their spices across the country.
The Gordon Ramsay at The London restaurant in West Hollywood received a Michelin Star in 2009. Christina worked there as an executive sous chef. She often worked long hours, sometimes up to 14 hours a day. She was also in charge of supervising different cooking stations in the kitchen.
Later, Christina started writing a blog for BuddyTV.com. She wrote about each episode of Hell's Kitchen season 5. Around that time, she also earned her sommelier diploma. This means she became an expert in wine service.
Since winning Hell's Kitchen, Christina has been invited to many cooking events. She competed in a cook-off with Rock Harper, who won season 3 of Hell's Kitchen. Both chefs also presented at the 2009 Scottsdale Culinary Festival in Arizona.
After the Gordon Ramsay at The London restaurant was sold, Christina went to Napa. She studied wine at CIA Greystone in St. Helena, California. Soon after, she moved back to Los Angeles. She joined the opening team for Bouchon in Beverly Hills. This restaurant was owned by the famous chef Thomas Keller.
In January 2009, she was a host at the St. Louis Food & Wine Experience.
In 2011, Christina moved to the Napa Valley. There, she found a new role at B Cellars in Calistoga, California. She helped connect the worlds of food and wine.
She also appeared on the 11th season of Hell's Kitchen in 2013. She was part of a team of past Hell's Kitchen winners. They competed against the final five contestants of that season.
In 2016, Christina made a brief appearance in the 16th-season premiere of the show. She was a guest during a challenge reward dinner with Ramsay. She gave the women contestants tips on how to handle pressure in Hell's Kitchen.
As of July 2025, Christina owns her own catering business in the Napa Valley. It is called Clandestine Table.
