Kitchen Nightmares' 3 Southern Girls: where Gabi, Tia, and Monchel are now
Of all the restaurants Gordon Ramsay visited on his Super Bowl-themed run through New Orleans, 3 Southern Girls had the most heartbreaking backstory — and one of the best outcomes. Here's where the trio stands now.
The short answer
3 Southern Girls in Jefferson, Louisiana is still open. Owner Gabi Smith is still in the kitchen, her sister Tia still serves, and best friend Monchel Parker-Johnson still cooks. The restaurant holds a 4.6-star Google rating and serves weekday lunch, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Why they needed Gordon in the first place
The episode — season 9, episode 5, aired February 4, 2025 — was filmed in the fall of 2024 as part of the show's Road to Super Bowl LIX arc. Gabi opened the restaurant on February 29, 2020, cooking her late grandfather's traditional Southern recipes: gumbo, red beans and rice, stuffed bell peppers.
Then her son Makhi was in a serious car accident. Gabi closed for a month to be at his side, kept paying her staff out of pocket, and drained her savings. When she reopened, she couldn't let go of control — no written recipes, no delegation, and food quality that Tia admitted had slipped.
What Gordon actually fixed
- The recipes — Gabi had abandoned her grandfather's dishes and was cooking from memory. Ramsay had them written into a recipe book so others could cook when she wasn't there.
- The kitchen — a renovation brought new equipment, including a working sandwich station, plus new lighting and a warmer dining room.
- The mindset — Ramsay took Gabi to the Superdome, where former Saints linebacker Craig Robertson talked to her about trusting a team.
At the end of the episode, Ramsay told Gabi she was "on the verge of greatness."
Are they still doing well?
Yes. The two-month follow-up showed a busy restaurant with Gabi finally delegating, and post-episode reviews have stayed mostly positive — diners praise the red beans, cornbread, and stuffed bell peppers, with the occasional gripe about a dish here and there. In a franchise where most restaurants close, that counts as a win.
Bonus stat: of the ten restaurants in that New Orleans season, 3 Southern Girls is one of nine still open.
Only Kindred closed — in December 2024, before its episode even aired.