Andrew Pearce, executive chef at Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House at SugarHouse Casino, was announced by Fox as one of 18 competing chefs on season 16 of “Hell’s Kitchen.” The show will premiere on Fox at 8 p.m. on September 23.

Before joining the Hugo’s team, Pearce served as executive chef at The Palm Restaurant. Pearce came to SugarHouse earlier this year, after the casino partnered with The Palm to hire displaced workers when the restaurant closed its doors for renovations. Pearce has been featured in Southern Living and Philadelphia Style. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute.

“It’s an honor to have been chosen to compete on the show,” Pearce says. “The high-energy environment and competition is a unique challenge and I’m excited for everyone to watch it unfold.”

“Hell’s Kitchen” first premiered in the U.S. in 2005 and features celebrity host Gordon Ramsay. Each week, teams of competitors square off in various cooking contests and hope to avoid elimination. Ramsay, known for his fiery criticism and passion for the art of cooking, challenges all competitors to put their best foot forward for a chance to finish the season at the top.

“We’re excited to see Andrew represent SugarHouse and Philadelphia on a national stage,” says Wendy Hamilton, general manager of SugarHouse Casino. “While he can’t tell us much about his run on the show, Andrew’s amazing work has already won many fans at Hugo’s and we expect he’ll win over the judges, too.”

Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House is the first and only Philadelphia location of the famous Gibsons Restaurant Group, based out of Chicago. Gibsons is the only restaurant group in America to have its own certification above USDA Prime.