Next Level Baker: Meet the Mentor Chefs

Next​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ Level Baker is a short-term baking contest spanning three weeks with Gordon Ramsay as the host, which aired on FOX on Thursday, December 4, 2025.

The program splits the contestants into three classifications: home bakers, professional bakers, and social media bakers.

To the competitors' delight and to the aid of mentor chefs, they are asked to prepare holiday-themed desserts and confections.

The mentors in the cooking show are Gordon Ramsay, Carla Hall, and Candace Nelson.

Each chef is a brand-new combination of one or more fields of the culinary arts, television, and business.

Their career paths and their influence on the culinary industry are summarized in the following ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌points.

Who are the Mentor Chefs of Next Level Baker?

Gordon Ramsay

His official website tells the story that Gordon Ramsay was a Scottish-born child and then grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

Ramsay was about to become a professional football player but after he got injured he went back to school.

He took a course in hotel management and later worked under chefs Albert Roux and Marco Pierre White in London and Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon in France.

In 1993, he was the head chef at Aubergine in London and, in less than three years, got it awarded with two Michelin stars.

In 1998, he launched Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, a place that got three Michelin stars and is still the most extended restaurant in London that has the stars.

Ramsay is also a star in other global restaurants, to name a few, Le Pressoir d'Argent in Bordeaux and Gordon Ramsay au Trianon in Versailles.

His places are in the U.S., the U.K., Dubai, Singapore, and China where he has the total of seven stars.

Throughout his career, Ramsay has been the face of numerous TV series, including Hell's Kitchen, MasterChef, MasterChef Junior, 24 Hours to Hell & Back, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, and The F-Word are some of the shows featuring him as the host.

In 2016, he established Studio Ramsay, a company whose primary focus is to produce food-related programs in the UK and the US along with digital platforms.

Ramsay is involved in writing and enjoys partnerships with companies like WWRD and HEXCLAD.

In 2006 he was bestowed the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Ramsay lives in LA and South London with his wife Tana and their six children plus the usual household pets.

Carla Hall

Carla Hall was born in Nashville, Tennessee, according to her Food Network bio, she attended Howard University, graduated with a degree in accounting, and became a Certified Public Accountant.

Hall turned to modeling in Paris, Milan, and London. After going back to the United States, Hall started selling sandwiches locally then at the age of 30 went to L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland.

She was a sous chef at the Henley Park Hotel and the executive chef at The Washington Club and The State Plaza Hotel through her career.

To mention a few, Carla Hall started the catering company in Maryland called Alchemy Caterers in 2001.

Carla Hall took part in Bravo's Top Chef: New York and Top Chef: All-Stars Season 8, where she was awarded the title of Fan Favorite.

She received the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host in 2015 through her co-hosting of ABC's The Chew from 2011 to 2018.

Hall has been collaborating with Food Network as a host and judge on various shows since 2015, such as Halloween Baking Championship, Holiday Baking Championship, Best Baker in America, Worst Cooks in America, Beat Bobby Flay, and Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking.

Candace Nelson

The first cupcake bakery with an ATM, Sprinkles, and a chain of Neo-Neapolitan pizzerias, Pizzana, were the two projects that Candace Nelson started, as per her official website.

She manages CN2 Ventures, a family office, and a venture studio that is very particular about investing in very early-stage consumer companies.

Nelson is the author of the New York Times Best Seller The Sprinkles Baking Book and the executive producer of the Hulu series Best in Dough.

In addition, she is a judge on Netflix's Sugar Rush and has been a guest judge on Food Network's Cupcake Wars for over 100 episodes. Candace lives in LA with her husband, two sons, and a Norwich terrier.

Her book, Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe to Turn Your Passion into Profit, was released in November 2022. 

Stay tuned for more updates.