She has this! Traverse City’s very own Chef Kimberly Ann Ryan beat out 17 contestants to become the grand prize winner of season 16 of Fox’s reality cooking show Hell’s Kitchen. That prize is $250,000 and a head chef position at the trendy Yardbird Southern Bar & Table at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas. Ryan has had to keep her win a secret for two years until the episode aired last night.

Chef Ryan’s Traverse City fan base packed The Parlor to watch the final episode with her—a dazzlingly dramatic show that pitted Chef Ryan against the only other contestant still standing, Chef Heather of Easton, Pennsylvania. Hell’s Kitchen Head Chef Gordon Ramsay announced Chef Ryan’s win saying: “She has the tenacity, drive and skill that will make her a great head chef at Yardbird Southern Table and Bar at the Venetian Las Vegas!”

Ryan, who plans to take the position in Las Vegas, will be cooking up a feast that will be featured in Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine to run this December 2017—just as she is easing into her new life. We will keep you posted! In the meantime, read on for the Hell’s Kitchen backstory and try her specialty dish recipe at home:

Photo(s) by © 2016 FOX Broadcasting Co.