And the 'Food Stars' Winner of Gordon Ramsay's Personal $250,000 Is...
In an interesting twist, the winner of Season 1 of Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars is not so much a food entrepreneur as a technology businessperson, but one who says that he can use his technology to make both of his competitors’ products, meaning his reach will be so much greater, which may be the reason Gordon Ramsay chose him to invest in.
The final battle for Gordon’s personal $250,000 investment came down to three finalists: Caroline D’Amore for Pizza Girl, Lan Ho for Fat Milk and Chris Kanik for Smart Cups, and of the three, Gordon decided that Chris was who he wanted to work with to take their business to the next level.
In the final few episodes, Lan came on strong, winning a couple of the challenges, so it looked as if she might be the winner, so when Chris walked off with Gordon’s money and endorsement, it was a little bit of a surprise.
“I think my performance consistently throughout the entire challenge stood out to Gordon, and at the end of the day, this is a business challenge and it’s an investment,” Chris told Parade in this exclusive interview. “When you’re comparing who has the best investment opportunity, and who has been the most consistent performer throughout the challenge, I think I win that.
“I’m coming to Gordon with a technology platform, something that has applications in a number of different categories, from food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, pet, to humanitarian applications, and so it’s very diverse. If you want impact and you want an ROI [return on investment], I’ve got that. And if you want something more—to make a difference, I offer that as well. And that’s why I said to Gordon, ‘Listen, you have Michelin stars, but I’m coming with you to with an opportunity to win a Nobel Prize.’”
The interesting thing to see will be how exactly Gordon becomes involved since he most likely doesn’t understand how the technology behind Smart Cups works, but Chris has it all figured out.
Related: Meet the 15 Culinary Entrepreneurs Competing in Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars
“The way I see Gordon coming on board, his input on flavors and tastes is going to be critical for the success of the company moving forward,” Chris says. “His input from that respect is going to help us dramatically in identifying which applications will be winners instantly and which ones are long-term applications for us to focus on. And then on top of that, it’s Gordon Ramsay, he’s got a rich network. He’s going to open a lot of doors for us from a commercial standpoint, from a relationship standpoint, from a humanitarian standpoint, and that’s what I’m most excited about.”
During our conversation, Chris also discussed his immediate plans on how he will put the money to work, which challenges were the hardest and easiest, and which of his competitors he has stayed in touch with – one of whom he even brough on board at Smart Cups.
Your company was touted on air as being a potential Nobel Prize winner. How does that make you feel?
That’s a loaded question because since I was 10 years old, people have told me that I was capable of winning a Nobel Prize. This has been a very long journey for me. I took my first chemistry class when I was 10 years old and I started working in a lab when I was 12, and I’ve done science research most of my life. I took a little bit of a break when I was a stand-up comic, but the last 11 years I’ve devoted my life to this.
What I’m most passionate about is the ability to provide essential micronutrients to under serviced communities, regions around the world, medications, in an innovative and sustainably accessible way. That’s what wakes me up early in the morning, and I think now that Gordon’s put a stamp of approval on Smart Cups, my vision will become a reality.
And so, it’s somewhat surreal, it hasn’t completely processed for me yet, but I’m really excited for what the future brings. I know Gordon is a big supporter; I’ve been in constant communication with him and his team. Gordon is a remarkable human being. How many times can you say you’re going to partner with somebody who has experience at a high level in TV, food and beverage, and humanitarian efforts? I think his partnership arguably outweighs dramatically the monetary investment.
And I was very upfront with Gordon throughout the entire challenge because he would ask me, “Why are you here?” And I would say, “Your stamp of approval almost guarantees commercial acceptance of Smart Cups, which will lead to adoption, which will lead to realizing my vision of helping the world and providing micronutrients and humanitarian efforts.” There are some applications that I’m really excited about that I really can’t talk about, but I’m looking to launch those in the next year or two now that Gordon’s on board.
What can you tell us about your plans to utilize the $250,000?
Now that the show is done, we can focus on our collaboration. I’m looking to work hand in hand with Gordon and see what products we can collaboratively introduce to the market, where we put taste to the forefront. Taste is going to be No. 1.
Right now, we sell an energy drink product, but one of the products that I’m looking to introduce in the next couple of months is mouthwash. This is a clear indication of the sustainability attributes of our technology. It eliminates liquid transportation, it eliminates the plastic package, it’s a more convenient manner of delivering mouthwash.
There’s bone broth that I’m looking to introduce. Each one of these [indicating the package] has 10 grams of protein, so we would be able to provide nutrition around the world. Those are some of the applications immediately that I’m looking to launch with Gordon’s investment.
At Smart Cups, we just installed our automated production line that’ll enable us to take on enterprise business, white label, and licensing deals. We just signed our first enterprise deal with a global pet product company, called Compana Pet Brands, to print pet supplements in disposable, recyclable pet bowls. There was a recent study published by UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability that highlights the environmental impact that our technology will have on the planet.
It looks as if the energy drink is using plastic cups. What about using less plastic?
These cups are actually made out of plant material, so they’re not normal plastic cups. We’re not limited to PLA, so this is made out of cornstarch. We can print on recycled paper, we can print on biodegradable substrates, and so we’re moving to completely sustainable materials throughout.
Cr: Greg Gayne/FOX
Let’s talk about your experience on the show. What challenges were the hardest for you, which ones were the easiest?
I didn’t really cook in a lot of the challenges. I was more of the presentation person, I was more of the development person, the marketing person behind the scenes. I think the most fun I had was challenge two, at the St. Jude Gala, because it provided us an opportunity to really do something greater than just our own businesses and it was for a good cause, helping raise funds for cancer research for kids with cancer.
The most difficult challenge that I encountered was challenge nine in Las Vegas. I got very sick before we started shooting that challenge and I lost 14 lbs. in about three days. I was completely dehydrated. I didn’t let anybody on set know this, but I lost so much weight that in the final episode my suit did not fit me properly. But I was so close to the finale, I knew that I had to give so much more of myself and the performance, more so than any of the other contestants. And so, I didn’t sleep for three days, I was dehydrated, throwing up, not to get into the details but not feeling well, and that was the challenge that really pushed me to my limits.
I would say that the entire challenge of doing Food Stars in general was probably the hardest thing for me to ever do, both physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, being away from my family for two months. But always working towards this bigger goal of showing Smart Cups to a larger audience and potentially getting Gordon’s stamp of approval, which I did.
CR: Greg Gayne/FOX
Which of your co-stars did you bond with that you’ll probably stay friends with, or maybe even do business with if they have a product that would work with Smart Cups?
In terms of contestants, I’ve stayed in touch with all the contestants, even Caroline. Caroline gets a bad rap, but Caroline and I have a great relationship. I’m married to a fiery Italian woman, so I know how to handle those types. Caroline actually just texted me a little while ago. Aaron [Valentine], for all the attention that he’s received for being young -- Gordon called him a lamb throughout the challenges -- he is probably one of the smartest, hardest working young people I’ve met in my life. He actually moved from Missouri to Southern California, and he works at Smart Cups now.
He helps us with social media, marketing and content creation. He has a lot to offer and has a very bright future. Sydney [Webb] with Toto, I’ve supported her and her business. Tony [Balestreri] and his Tony B’s Steak Chips, I’ve been helping him. I actually got him a new co-packer. And so, I’ve stayed in touch with a lot of the contestants and have used my experience in the CPG [consumer packaged goods] world to help them and grow their businesses.
I was going to ask you if Caroline actually was the way that she was portrayed on the show, because a lot of times in the editing of it, they need a villain.
Yes, Caroline really is like that. But Caroline is legitimately a good person, and she means very, very well and she’s going to stand up. Yeah, they need a villain, but I wouldn’t say she was necessarily a villain as much as she was just very convicted. Convicted, let’s put it that way, in her opinions.
Cr: Greg Grayne/FOX
Hiring Aaron, that’s so cool that you guys will be working together.
He’s become part of my family. I have three kids; they think of Aaron as their older brother at this point. My oldest son just had a birthday, he just turned 15, and we asked him who he wanted to invite to his birthday, his first answer was Aaron.
What about his Snow Cone King business? Is he continuing that as well?
Yeah, so we’ve helped him source equipment to grow his business. But listen, he’s young, if it doesn’t hit for him, if it doesn’t grow, he’s got so much opportunity. Man, if I could go back in time and I could be him at 21.
True, but everything that you’ve done has brought you to where you are right now.
Yes, I wouldn’t change anything. Food Stars was a great experience, a great opportunity, and I’m really excited about what the future holds for us. And for me, to sit in the final episode, to have production surprise me with my family, who I had not seen for two months, and for me to finally break down emotionally, I think it was a strange moment for my family because they don’t see me get emotional. But to share in that moment with them, in my head I was just thinking to myself, “Man, if I lose this in front of my family, how devastated is everyone going to be?”
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