Former champion Stu Deeley explains the ‘power of MasterChef’

The Staff Canteen

Stu Deeley, winner of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2019, admits entering the show was out of his “comfort zone”, but that the experience during and since “has delivered everything I hoped for and more”.

Stu saw off competition from Exose Grant Lopo-Ndinga, Yann Florio and Olivia Burt to win the final five years ago.

He now works as chef director at Smoke, at Solihull’s Hampton Manor.

The new series of MasterChef: The Professionals begins on BBC One on Tuesday, October 29.

“I won MasterChef: The Professionals in 2019. It feels like a lifetime ago now,” Stu told The Staff Canteen.

“We’ve had a lot happen since then. What a great show.

“MasterChef has delivered everything I hoped for and more, to be honest.

“From going down the street and being recognised, to my kid’s schoolteachers saying ‘I saw you on MasterChef’. It’s crazy, because for me, I’m a boy from Bearwood. I had no reason to be in the public eye.

“MasterChef wasn’t about that, it wasn’t about trying to become a someone, it was just about testing myself. What it’s given me it’s returned in so many ways.”

MasterChef: The Professionals, Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti, Gregg Wallace
Judges for MasterChef: The Professionals 2024

He added: “You’ve got to do MasterChef.

“Any chef out there that has self-doubt, if you’ve got a good mentor, a good mentor will always say to you to push yourself to the next level. That’s what you have to do.

“Sometimes you’re going to do things in life that’s outside your comfort zone. Like for me, being on a TV programme that airs to five million people, maybe more because it gets released worldwide.

“We’ve actually had a guest in the restaurant who came all the way from Australia. That’s the power of MasterChef.”

Someone who has not yet fully appreciated the scale of Stu’s achievement in winning the show is his young son Jack.

“Jack was around 18 months at the time, because filming is about six months behind the actual airing,” said Stu.

“Jack’s now seven and it’s unbelievable to sit there with him and watch it on the telly.

“At the time, I thought ‘what a moment this will be’. I sat down with him, we watched it and he just went ‘oh, nice’.”

Judges for the 17th series of MasterChef: The Professionals will again be Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 23rd October 2024

Former champion Stu Deeley explains the ‘power of MasterChef’