Marino Monferrato is the Maître d'hôtel on Hell's Kitchen, and it's time to share some interesting facts about him. He's served as the restaurant director during many of the series' installments, and currently features on season 21. The Italian native appeared in this season's first episode, but then disappeared, due to a trip to Italy. He returned during episode 10.
Before joining the Hell's Kitchen cast, he worked in numerous restaurants, as a general manager, restaurant director, and professional wine taster. At the age of 17, Marino joined Chef Gualtiero Marchesi at his restaurant, which then had three Michelin stars. Since his debut in the industry, he has built an impressive career 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, the Hell's Kitchen celeb returned, so he could take on an official restaurant director role.
Who is Marino Monferrato?
As the maître d', Marino is in charge of serving "front of house." He is also responsible for showing chefs how to make the table side dishes. During his first dinner service, Marino delayed the first food ticket. It was a rough start, especially since he was following in the footsteps of the previous restaurant director, Jean-Philippe Susilovic, whom Gordon Ramsay considered the best maître d' in the world. However, Marino soon redeemed himself. He even used his background to give season 13 competitors a lesson on wine tasting.
Marino Brings Comic Relief to Hell's Kitchen
Marino's kitchen expertise goes beyond just managing the front of the house. He is also a partner who co-owns two very successful pizza restaurants. In season 17, Gordon presented Marino's, "special" pizza to the contestants, each slice representing different countries in the Hell's Kitchen challenge. Gordon clearly respects the Italian's opinions on food, and has even asked him to try contestants' 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 and fiery temper caused him to throw burnt potatoes out of the kitchen. As the drama unfolded, Marino was 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 Gordon giving him a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Only a few episodes later, Gordon jokingly showed contestants a picture of Marino as a teenager, wearing short shorts on a motorcycle. Marino quickly fired back later in the episode, revealing a young picture of Gordon.
Throughout his stint on the show, 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. However, most fans love Marino due to 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 brief appearances, Hell's Kitchen viewers are always looking forward to Marino's next stunt.
Hell's Kitchen: Battle of the Ages (season 21) airs on Fox on Thursdays at 8/7c.