Derek Gigliotti IN as Chef de Cuisine at BLT Steak

Meet Derek Gigliotti, the new chef de cuisine at BLT Steak at Bally’s Las Vegas. He’s been on board since December, but tonight, he’ll find out with the rest of the country which of the final three contestants on Hell’s Kitchen will join him in the kitchen. The winner of Gordon Ramsay’s cooking competition wins not only $250,000, but the “head chef” position at the restaurant. Gigliotti even makes an appearance on the show.

Gigliotti got his start working in his grandmother’s concession stand, a family business that brought fast food to the rodeos, state fairs, Native American pow wows and expos of Eastern Washington.

He headed south to Scottsdale Culinary Institute to earn his associate’s degree, and then worked an externship at Boulders Resort in Carefree, Arizona, followed by three years at the Phoenician Resort, where he worked with Alex Stratta, James Cohen and Robert McGrath in Phoenix.

Gigliotti moved to Las Vegas in 1998 to help open Picasso at the Bellagio, where he was the chef de partie. Two years later, he rejoined Stratta at Renoir at the Mirage, then moved on to become the sous chef at the MGM Grand’s exclusive 32-room private hotel and gaming salon The Mansion, where worked under chef Philippe Rispoli. He followed him to Aureole at Mandalay Bay. After stints at Terrazza at Caesars Palace, Circo at Bellagio and The Country Club at Wynn Las Vegas, Gigliotti became the executive chef of Onda at the Mirage.

While there, he appeared on The Food Network’s Chopped. Later he became the chef de cuisine at Envy Steakhouse at the Renaissance, followed by a job as executive chef of Fix at the Bellagio.

At BLT Steak, known for its Sterling Brunch and Gruyere popovers served with every meal, Gigliotti creates a weekly blackboard chef’s menu.

Hell’s Kitchen airs at 8 p.m. PDT on Fox.