MasterChef The Professionals 2018 has been quite a year for local talent. We have three chefs who have made it to the knockout stages! Tonic caught up with Brett Connor a development chef from Leicester to ask him a few questions about his experience so far on the show.
Why did you enter?
I entered MasterChef: The Professionals as I wanted a challenge and as a platform to put what I have learnt over the years into practice, you never know what can come from nationwide exposure!
How did the experience measure up to your expectations?
The experience was quite surreal, it’s a different type of pressure, it’s not every day you’re working in a kitchen with a camera following around! But it was good fun! A great learning experience.
What did you learn in your Heat and Quarter Final?
I learnt that I could cope quite well under pressure and adapt to a situation, I tried to focus on what I was doing rather than what was happening around me
What advice would you give to young chefs starting their career?
Don’t be in a rush to get somewhere! Learn as much as you can, every day should be a school day!
What is the best single piece of advice you have been given by a mentor?
“You can’t build a house until you know how to lay the foundations” I think that was a brilliant piece of advice, it’s basically saying understand the basics and the fundamentals understand why things are done certain ways, there are so many chefs nowadays who can cook a beautiful piece of meat in a water bath, but take that away and give them a pan and some butter and they would struggle!
Credit: MasterChef: The Professionals, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 pm, BBC Two
