Hell's Kitchen: What Happened To Dafne After Leaving The Show?

Ending up on "Hell's Kitchen" is a dream come true for many chefs. While everyone wants to win the grand prize, simply getting the exposure the show offers can significantly boost one's profile. It's safe to say that's the case for Chef Dafne Mejia, who was the runner-up on Season 21.

According to her website, she's been involved with cooking for a long time. While she initially went to school to study biology, she realized her passions lay elsewhere, and she soon made the switch to The Art Institute of California — San Francisco to study culinary arts. She then became a private chef, with clients including Drake, and honed her craft at various fine dining establishments. From September 2022 to February 2023, her episodes of "Hell's Kitchen" aired, and she hasn't slouched since proving she was a master chef on the show. According to her LinkedIn, she's continued working as a private chef through The Gores Group. 

It's a culmination of many years of experience, starting as a line cook and making her way to an executive sous chef. She may not have won "Hell's Kitchen," but her career will be just fine even without that grand prize. 

Chef Dafne Mejia is still doing what she loves, and her fans can get a first-hand glimpse into what she's up to these days by following her on Instagram. She regularly posts photos and videos of her in the kitchen, either working or just tinkering with a fun recipe. One such video sees her working as a private chef traveling via plane and cooking in the sky. It's rather glamorous, minus the times when she had to stop what she was doing due to turbulence. She added the caption to let everyone know how satisfied she is with life, "Never thought in a million years I would prep and cook on a private plane. It's definitely a different beast in the field that I've learned to love."

She's also active on TikTok, where she shares videos of cooking. Whether you're an aspiring chef yourself or just like watching cooking videos for the vibes, there's much to learn, such as the proper way to twirl spaghetti to make it look pretty on a plate. It's a big deal to be a runner-up on "Hell's Kitchen" and to continue finding success in the culinary world after the fact. It's a good thing she changed her educational path all those years ago; otherwise, the cooking world would never have gotten such an immense talent.