Born and raised on Oʻahu, Hunter Gentry says his passion for cooking started at 2 years old alongside his mom in the kitchen.
From there, he went into the Culinary Program at Mililani High School, while also balancing extracurriculars such as paddling and JROTC.
“It did prepare me,” Gentry told Aloha State Daily. “In paddling, they taught discipline, great mentality, leadership; JROTC taught personal and professional development; the culinary pathway was the way to go because that became my career.”
He went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, California, in 2020, and traveled across the country to work at Disney World Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella’s Royal Table. At CIA, he learned from Chef Thomas Wong, also from Hawai’i, who pointed him to the Greenbrier Culinary Apprenticeship program in West Virginia. According to its website, the intensive, paid program is 3 years long and trains chefs in both savory and pastry paths.
“It is one of the most prestigious culinary apprenticeship programs in the nation. It’s insane,” Gentry said, “You learn and excel at the fundamentals of cooking, and at the end, you create your own menu to show what you learned. I did an 11-course menu, all Hawaiʻi themed.”
He stayed on in various roles at Greenbrier’s restaurants after graduating in January 2024.
When asked to define his cooking style, Gentry said, “With my heritage being Filipino and Chamorro, and upbringing in Hawai’i, I bring upscale, classical, French cooking into every plate.”
Unleashing these skills on Fox’s newest season of “Next Level Chef,” he adds he “brought the aloha. I brought the culture.”
When casting producers called to share that he made it onto the show, it was hard to contain the excitement, he said with a laugh, “I was screaming, cussing, doing cheehoos. Then on the show, I was doing cheehoos and scared a few people.”
He recalled one of the challenges and having 30 seconds to pick out ingredients off a rising platform. “You’re fighting all these chefs, and literally, hands were thrown. I didn’t know if someone punched someone or they fell, so I grabbed what I could. It was a war.
Chefs then have 20-25 minutes to cook. “I was plating something while cooking something else in last 20 seconds,” Gentry said. “If someone watching this at home says this is easy. It is not. It was to the wire.”
The show is judged by chefs Richard Blais, Nyesha Arrington and Gordon Ramsay.
“The judges were nice, especially Gordon Ramsay. I had a great time. For my first time doing this, the team was helpful,” Gentry said. “I loved meeting the competitors. On set, you couldn’t bring any technology, you just had to talk with everybody, which was great. We all became family.”
He noted this won’t be his last time on national TV.
When asked what’s next for his cooking career, he said continuing to learn from other chefs.
“I do envision running my own restaurant. Probably not in Hawaiʻi because of the cost. Maybe within the next six to 10 years, Gentry said. “I just want to make delicious food and serve my heritage.”
He says when he visits Hawai’i, he loves going to the North Shore to be in the water, Food-wise, his stops include Kyung's Seafood, Banzai Sushi Bar, Foodland and Zippy’s.
The are two quotes he lives by are:
“Never stop paddling, always keep pushing.”
“It’s not an if, it’s a when.”
As a newborn and child, Gentry endured various health issues that predicted a 10% chance of living, he says. But having support from friends, family and community have helped shaped who he is today.
“For me, I want to be able to show that even though I had my extensive medical history, was a special education student, had hearing aids growing up, for those kids out there who have differences or troubles — go for it, push it! Go dream and do what you want to do.”
Watch Gentry and the other professionals on episode 1 of season 5 on “Next Level Chef,” which premiered on Fox on Jan. 29, 2026. It can be watched weekly on TV or streamed on Hulu, FuboTV, YouTube TV, Apple TV.
Follow Gentry @boardshorts_chef.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
