Who is chef Michael Notman-Watt MasterChef: The Professionals 2024 contestant?

This week sees the final round of heats in this year’s MasterChef: The Professionals 2024, which next airs on Monday, November 18 at 9pm.

Introducing Michael Notman-Watt, chef director at The Brewhouse Project in Arundel.

Brazil-born Michael moved to London as a child and now lives in West Sussex with his wife Alex and three-year-old daughter Matilda.

NAME

Michael Notman-Watt

AGE

31

WHERE ARE YOU FROM/WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

Born in Brazil to a Brazilian mother and British father, Michael lived in the country for a year before moving to Dubai. When he was 12 the family moved over to London and he has been based in the UK ever since. He now lives in Bolney in West Sussex.

CURRENT AND PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

In 2012, Michael dropped out of his chemical engineering degree to enrol in a nine-month intensive culinary course. He then spent two years working at the French bistro Emile’s in Putney. Over the next few years, he worked at 64 Degrees, The Dairy and Bistro Union, before returning to 64 Degrees in 2017 to take on the role of head chef. From late 2018, Michael focused on hosting events and catering weddings.  When the pandemic hit, he took the reins at a village pub in Hurstpierpoint. In October 2023, he embarked on a new venture with the team at Arundel Brewery, launching a restaurant within The Brewhouse Project.

WHO AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A CHEF?

"I’ve always wanted to cook and always loved food. For my 15th birthday I asked for two things: to be enrolled in a cooking course during my school holiday and to go to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen (I thought it was poetic). From the first snack - a scallop ceviche with pomegranate and coriander - I was hooked. The idea of being a chef was still a distant dream until a few years later and a love affair with Anthony Bourdain. His attitude to food and life captivated me and I have never looked back. I took the leap and dropped out of university, went to culinary school and here I am today!”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF COOKING AND ANY INFLUENCES ON IT?

“I like to put ingredients first and my ego second. What I mean by that is that my goal is to show off what I'm cooking to the best of its natural self, doing as much or as little as needed. Being lucky enough to have been brought up across three continents and having spent most of my childhood in international schools, I’ve been exposed to dozens of cultures and cuisines. So I’m not limited to one style of cooking. But one core thing never changes - good produce is the key to good food.”

WHY DID YOU WANT TO TAKE PART IN MASTERCHEF: THE PROFESSIONALS?

“I have wanted to apply for MasterChef: The Professionals for a couple of years, but now feels like a good time. There is a certain new motivation that comes when you have kids and I’m doing this for me, but also my daughter.”

OUTSIDE OF COOKING WHAT ARE YOUR PASSIONS?

“I have lots of interests, but the one that takes up the majority of my free time is a spot of farming. We have a two-acre small holding where we grow a lot of vegetables, have dozens of fruit and nut trees. 2025 will mark our first big leap to be close to food self-sufficiency, with pigs, sheep and bees on the schedule for next year. It also makes a brilliant venue for a party or four over the summer!

Having been brought up in big cities, I wanted to give my daughter Matilda the country lifestyle I never had. So we have our own apple trees, a vegetable plot and two fruit cages. Matilda has her own herb patch as well and, during the growing season, she spends time every day ‘helping’ us tend to the plots and harvest the produce.”