Hell's Kitchen: What Happened To Season 5 Winner Danny Veltri & Fornelletto
It's been twelve years since Danny Veltri won season five of Hell's Kitchen. In addition to $250,000, the victorious chef was told he would win a head chef position at Fornelletto at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. Here's everything you need to know about what Veltri and Fornelletto have been up to since being featured on Hell's Kitchen.
Entering the competition at the young age of 23, many of Veltri's competitors didn't see him as a real threat. Despite being younger than the other contestants, Veltri had an arrogant air from the start. This confidence was eventually earned, as he grew more and more skilled in the kitchen, thanks to his hard work and lots of constructive critique from Gordon Ramsay. In fact, at the end of the season, Ramsay was quoted saying that Veltri won the competition because of how much he grew as a chef in such a short amount of time.
Originally from Edgewater, Florida, Veltri relocated to Atlantic City, New Jersey after winning Hell's Kitchen to work at Fornelletto at the Borgata. He was told he would be Head Chef at the newly-opened restaurant. However, when he arrived, he was made a Sous Chef instead. Consequentially, Veltri only stayed at Fornelletto for a few months before returning to his home in the Sunshine State. In a Reddit post, created by a user who claims to have worked with Veltri in Florida before and after his time on Hell's Kitchen, further details are revealed. According to the user, "[Veltri] was one of many other sous chefs there and the other ones didn't respect how he got there. They did a lot of grunt work to get to that position and he was kinda thrown into it. He came back kind of jaded." According to this source, Veltri returned home to escape a less-than -deal working situation.
Once back in Florida, Veltri started his own business called Back From Hell Catering. This name was, of course, a play on the fact that he recently returned from filming Hell's Kitchen. The company didn't last long though, and he soon assisted in opening Gnarly Surf Bar & Grill, an upscale restaurant on the beach, where he served as General Manager. After that, Veltri was offered an Executive Chef position at Vince Carter's Restaurant in Daytona Beach. In 2012, Veltri was arrested for driving under the influence. According to TMZ, a witness saw him attempt to purchase alcohol at a gas station around 4AM. After being refused, Veltri fell asleep in his vehicle in the driver's seat with the engine on. He was released on $500 bail.
As for Fornelletto, after Veltri left, it continued to operate within the Borgata until 2017, when it was replaced by several other fine dining options. These days, there are a variety of restaurants to choose from at the casino, including Bobby Flay Steak and Angeline by Michael Symon.
Hell's Kitchen airs Thursdays at 8 pm ET on Fox.
Source: Chuck_E_Sleeze/Reddit, TMZ