Chef Anaiya “Marie” Lator (@xoxo_naiya), a rising star in the culinary world, is set to appear on the upcoming season of Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the States. While her career has taken her across the country, her love of food traces back to her early years in Delaware.
Born in Delaware, Anaiya spent part of her senior year at William Penn High School in New Castle before graduating from Grovetown High School in Georgia in 2018. She often credits Delaware as a special influence in her journey, recalling childhood memories of her grandmother’s holiday meals that first sparked her passion for cooking.
That spark led her to pursue formal training at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, NC, where she earned her associate’s degree in 2020. From there, she sharpened her skills at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, one of the South’s most iconic restaurants, before relocating to San Antonio in 2021.
Today, she’s firmly entrenched in the San Antonio culinary scene. She previously worked at Jason Dady’s Range as a sous chef before joining Biga on the Banks, a fine dining mainstay on San Antonio’s River Walk. There, under the guidance of James Beard Award–nominated Chef Bruce Auden, she was promoted to sous chef in 2024.
And while she’s built her career in Texas, Anaiya will proudly be repping Delaware in Hell’s Kitchen: Battle of the States, bringing her First State roots to a national audience.
She follows in the footsteps of past Delaware contestants Chef Jesus “Zeus” Valentino, executive chef at Benvenuto restaurant in Milford, Delaware, and Chef O’Shay Lolley, private chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, who both previously brought their First State pride to Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen.
Now, with Ramsay’s fiery stage ahead, Anaiya is poised to showcase her skills and story, one that blends Delaware beginnings, Southern training, and Texas grit, to prove she has the recipe for success.
