Tonight is the start of finals week on MasterChef: The Professionals 2016. Let's meet Arnaud Kaziewicz, one of the final four MasterChef: The Professionals contestants hoping to impress Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti to be in with a chance of taking this year's title.
MasterChef: The Professionals
finalist 2016 Arnaud Kaziewicz
Region: Lives in Chalkwell, Essex (originally, Le
Mans, France)
Works: In Borehamwood (North London / Herts)
Age: 40
Profession: Head of Food Development
Personal: Married to Marie-Claire and father of one
Cooking Background: “My grandfather was a chef and cooked for the then French president, René Coty. I decided I wanted to be a chef at the age of 14. My mother is a great cook and we used to have large family dinners. I love food and everything that comes with it. My parents would get produce from the local farm so we always had ethically-sourced meat ready to go. My mum made pickles, patés, rillettes and puddings so I thought I would like to do that myself.
“I love baking and desserts. I started my career as a Commis Saucier (making sauces) working for a Master Chef in Le Mans. I was trained at the chef school 'Helene Boucher' in Le Mans, France, while working in local restaurants in the Loire Valley.”
Cooking Influences: “My influencers are David and Helen Everitt-Matthias, who I worked for at Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham, because of their dedication to food and chef training. They are the most supportive people I have ever worked for in my life. I remember the day I was offered a position, I jumped for joy and it felt as if I had just won the lottery.”
On MasterChef: “I always thought that MasterChef was the toughest competition for professional chefs and seeing how I would fair in the challenge was high on my list of lifetime goals. My food is all about techniques and flavours.
“I am so humbled by it all. I have stayed true to myself and cooking style in the competition, making food I love. I am over the moon! The Skills Test is the most difficult challenge. It was so tough that I didn't know what planet I was on!”
Current situation: “Right now, my wife and I have just had our first baby – a boy (18th December) so this is our focus and we are very excited. We are also getting ready for Christmas in our first house which we bought not long ago and have been busy turning into a home.”
Cooking ambitions: “I would love to be part of a TV series taking viewers on a cookery adventure through French markets.
“My day-to-day job head of food development is really fulfilling and I enjoy it a lot. I develop a range of food products which is set to include French patisserie products so this will take up a lot of my attention I plan to start work on a cookbook in the early part of the new year, so watch this space!”
MasterChef: The Professionals 2016 – The Final Week, starts tonight, continues Wednesday 21st and concludes Thursday 22nd December, 8pm on BBC Two
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