In December 2016 Gary was crowned MasterChef: The Professionals Champion 2016, after taking on 47 other professional chefs in the pursuit of gastronomic glory. He battled through seven weeks of fierce competition on our TV screens and extra-ordinary cooking in the culinary challenges. There was only one king of the kitchen and he touched the hearts and passions of the UK TV audience. Reacting to his win, Gary said: “What an amazing journey. This is the biggest competition any chef can put themselves through and to be standing here at the end is incredible”.
About his passion for cooking, Gary: “I love cooking in every sense, everything from butchery to patisserie, but my biggest buzz is teaching and guiding students into a successful career in the industry. Hopefully, taking part has shown that if I can still chase my dreams I can inspire students to start chasing theirs.”
Monica Galetti MasterChef judge said:
“Gary has been such a pleasure to watch rediscover himself as a chef. He’s a chef who always cooks from the heart and you can feel the emotion that goes into his cookery.”
Marcus Wareing spoke about the 2016 champion:“Gary has soaked up every little bit of this competition. He’s lived the MasterChef dream. He’s a major talent, he’s grown incredibly well, and he’s a gentleman of the of the kitchen…For a chef lecturer to step into a three Michelin-star kitchen and feel so at home is quite unique…”
Marcus Wareing commented that Gary’s starter:“could come from any three Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe…it’s the best razor clam dish I’ve ever eaten.”
Gregg Wallace remarked:“That man has forged his own style of cookery while he’s been here on MasterChef. It’s modern, it’s of the moment and I think it’s fantastic.”
