“Top Chef” Star Gregory Gourdet Opens Up About Addiction and Sobriety

Gregory Gourdet’s drinking problems began at a young age. As time progressed, he eventually graduated to smoking marijuana and using hard drugs like acid, ketamine, meth, and cocaine. Gregory says, “when I wasn’t high, I was cooking.” His newfound love for cooking led to him working in a café as a dishwasher and assistant. That’s where a chef saw his potential and suggested he go to culinary school.

Though he attended his classes, Gregory still kept partying. His career was booming and so was his drug habit. “Cooking and drugs provided a similar thrill because they were both a tightrope walk – at the end was elation, but below were flames and failure in the kitchen and death in the bottle or bag.” Gourdet was drinking at work and even freebasing, which is the process of smoking the vapors from a purified form of the drug.

Gregory Gourdet’s drug use became so bad that he was fired and attempted rehab. Unfortunately, his sobriety wouldn’t last too long, and he would relapse and end up getting behind the wheel. This moment wasn’t the big aha moment for him. He didn’t quit drinking and using drugs until a year after.