Hell’s Kitchen: Everything To Know About Head Chef Marino Monferrato

Marino Monferrato is the Maître d’hôtel on Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen. He has served as the Restaurant Director for the last six seasons and is currently featured on Season 19. Here’s everything you need to know about the Italian native.

Before Marino joined the cast of Hell’s Kitchen, he worked in numerous restaurants as the general manager, restaurant director, and even a professional wine taster. At the young age of 17, Marino joined Chef Gualtiero Marchesi in his 3 Michelin star restaurant. Since his debut in the industry, Marino has continued his success in London, France, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Even before his official debut as the maître d’, Marino appeared as a guest judge for the Burger Portion Challenge in Season 11. Two seasons later, he was asked to return as the official restaurant director.

As the maître d’, Marino is in charge of serving the front of the house. He is also responsible for showing chefs how to make the table side dish. During his first dinner service, Marino delayed the first food ticket. It was a rough start after the previous restaurant director, Jean-Philippe, who Ramsey described as the best maître d’ in the world. However, Marino soon redeemed himself and even used his background to give season 13 competitors a lesson on wine tasting.

Marino’s kitchen expertise goes beyond just managing the front of the house. He is also the partner of two very successful pizza restaurants. In season 17, Ramsey presented Marino’s “special” pizza to the contestants, each slice representing different countries in the challenge. Ramsey clearly respects the Italian’s opinions on food and has even asked him to try contestant’s dishes, most notably the risotto.

While Marino’s appearances on the show are limited, he has provided many memorable moments that fans are sure to remember. In Season 17, Ramsey’s famous, fiery temper caused him to throw burnt potatoes out of the kitchen. As the drama unfolded, Marino can be seen catching the flying potatoes with a large smile on his face. Another notable moment was in Season 18; Marino’s kitchen station caught on fire as he was giving a demonstration to contestants. This led to Ramsey giving him a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Only a few episodes later, Ramsey jokingly showed contestants a picture of Marino as a teenager, wearing short shorts on a motorcycle. Marino quickly to fired back later in the episode, revealing a young picture of Ramsey.

Throughout the past six seasons, Marino has shown fans that he is more than just a restaurant manager; he is a successful business owner, wine connoisseur and master of pizza. Fans, however, love Marino for his subtle comedic moments. They have seen him dressed as a cowboy, wearing an ice cream suit, and even riding a gelato bike. Despite his small appearances, Hell’s Kitchen viewers can look forward to Marino’s next stunt; hopefully, this time without the flames.

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