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Cassie Yeung is a chef and TikTok influencer who will appear alongside Gordon Ramsay on FOX's "Next Level Chef." The competition series puts culinary pros head-to-head to test their skills under the leadership of TV's most recognizable celebrity chefs — including the famously prickly Ramsay.
"He's intimidating by nature but honestly so supportive," Cassie tells Daily Voice. During filming, Cassie was chosen to compete for Ramsay's team, an honor she described as "nerve-wracking."
"Before I went on the show, one of my biggest fears was naturally being yelled at by the one-and-only Gordon Ramsay," she said. "I was so nervous during my first interaction with him but come to find out he's really kind!"
Growing up in South Brunswick, NJ, Cassie says she always loved to cook.
"I was always curious in the kitchen and constantly asked my mother to be able to help," she recalled. "My family never really ordered takeout, and my mom raised me with a 'there's food in the house' mindset."
Still, she'd never considered it as a career path until she came back home from California last spring.
"I moved back to the east coast in May and I was unhappy with my career," Cassie said. "I decided that I wanted to take a shot at being a content creator, so I started posting some cooking videos on TikTok."
Now, eight months later, Cassie's account has nearly 650,000 followers and over 13 million total views. She's also since relocated from her native New Jersey to Philadelphia to be closer to her sister.
"It's been a dream that's opened up so many opportunities," she said, including her upcoming television appearance. Cassie says she was called by a FOX representative about appearing on Next Level Chef after one of her cooking videos went viral on TikTok.
"I actually thought it was a scam," she laughed. "After that, the process moved rather quickly," and "before I knew it I was packing my bags up and was on my way!"
Cassie can't reveal much about how things turned out on set — viewers will have to catch the season premiere on Super Bowl Sunday to see how she and Team Ramsay fared.
But it's just as well for the Philly-based chef, who told Daily Voice that her love for cooking has little to do with competition.
"My goal is to share my love for cooking and show how it can be a therapeutic and creative outlet," Cassie said. "That it doesn't need to be perfect or intimidating."
Season two of Next Level Chef premieres on FOX on Sunday, Feb. 12.
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