Alexandria’s Chef Leigh Orleans Heads to ‘Chopped’ Tonight After Hell’s Kitchen Spotlight
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Chef Leigh Orleans, an Alexandria native who already proved she can handle the heat on one of television’s toughest kitchens, is stepping back into the spotlight tonight.
A Mount Vernon resident and alum of Season 22 of Hell’s Kitchen, Orleans will compete on Chopped Tuesday at 9 p.m.—bringing her high-intensity culinary skills to Food Network’s famously unforgiving arena.
“I’ve been waiting 2.5 years to tell y’all about this,” Orleans shared on social media a few days ago. “TUESDAY 9 PM EST on Food Network, catch me battling it out on #chopped.”
From Hell’s Kitchen to the National Stage
Orleans first drew national attention as a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen Season 22, where she finished sixth overall in a field of 18 chefs. Cooking under the watchful—and often unforgiving—eye of Gordon Ramsay, she quickly emerged as a competitor willing to take risks and push beyond her experience level.
In post-show reflections, Orleans described the competition as transformative. She entered the show feeling like “the chef with the least experience,” but embraced the challenge, later calling it “the most formative experience of my life.” She added that she “gave every single day my all” and left the competition “with my head held high.”
The show’s demanding dinner services—where timing, leadership, and precision are constantly tested—helped shape the composure she now brings into another high-pressure format.
A Private Chef Career Takes Off
Since her run on Hell’s Kitchen, Orleans has built a fast-moving career as a private chef, traveling nationwide for high-end culinary events and client experiences.
In 2025, Zebra reported from Augusta that she was cooking during The Masters Tournament, preparing multi-course dinners for corporate guests tied to a sponsored player.
“I am doing five dinners with rotating corporate guests and the sponsored player every night,” Orleans told Zebra from a private kitchen near the course.
Her menus featured elevated, globally inspired dishes—like filet paired with black garlic harissa prawns and New York strip grilled over a Big Green Egg—while navigating the logistical challenges of sourcing premium ingredients during one of the busiest weeks in the hospitality calendar.
Now working full-time as a private chef, Orleans continues to take on elite assignments. In 2026, she returned to Augusta again during Masters week, again executing as a solo private chef for a high-end client group.
A Return Home—and a Growing Following
For Alexandria readers, the story is also deeply local.
Orleans and her husband recently moved back to the area from North Carolina, purchasing a home directly across the street from her parents in Mount Vernon—a full-circle return that underscores her ties to the community.
Beyond the kitchen, she has also built a strong and growing social media following, where she shares approachable, creative recipes designed for home cooks—expanding her reach well beyond the restaurant world.
Now, the Chopped Challenge
All of that experience now leads to Chopped, where the format is simple—and brutal.
Three rounds. Mystery baskets. A ticking clock.
Win or lose, stepping into that kitchen is a statement.
And for Chef Leigh Orleans, it’s the next step in a career that continues to gain momentum.
Tonight, Alexandria gets a front-row seat.
Watch
What: Chopped (featuring Chef Leigh Orleans)
When: Tuesday, 9 p.m. EST
Where: Food Network
