MasterChef 2007Winner: Steven Wallis Steve's great palate and innate understanding of ingredients won him the MasterChef 2007 title. He dreams of running his own restaurant and deli and one of his proudest moments was having Raymond Blanc and Michel Roux praise his food. Since winning the competition Steven has had numerous television appearances, worked with Michel Roux Jr and the Le Gavroche team at the Taste Festival in Regent's Park. He's consulted on food trends and innovation for Sainsbury's and Crabtree & Evelyn. Steven has also worked at the restaurant Pierre Gagnaire, Paris (which has three Michelin stars). He's currently writing two recipe books to be published in 2008. Watch out for him as sous chef on BBC Two's Great British Menu in March 2008. Try Steve's recipes. Finalist: Ben Axford Ben says, "So did the show really change my life? Well, it certainly gives me a level of credibility on the cooking front. I have undertaken paid work for dinner parties, a hotel opening and cookery demonstrations. I've given cheese master classes at the BBC Good Food Show, written for a charity cookbook, occasionally been recognised in the street and generally been asked "when are you opening your restaurant?" Plans may be afoot. It would be impossible to run the shop and a restaurant at the same time, so I am currently awaiting offers for my shop CheeseWorks, so I can proceed with the next phase of my journey." Try Ben's recipes. Finalist: Hannah Miles Hannah says, "Having gone into the MasterChef competition as a last-minute stand-in, it still amazes me that I made it to the final. Looking back, even the tough, teary days were really positive, and I learned so much, not only as a cook, but also about myself as a person. I now know that I can achieve anything I want and how important it is to follow your dreams. Since finishing MasterChef I have joined the writing teams at Country House and Country Kitchen magazines, writing monthly recipe columns for both. I love coming up with inventive recipes for seasonal British produce and having the photoshoots at my cottage. I have been training at Fitzbillies Bakery in Cambridge with some wonderfully skilled bakers and my patisserie skills have dramatically improved. I have also taught with Giancarlo Caldesi at La Cucina Caldesi Cookery School and have done numerous cookery demonstrations." Try Hannah's recipes. MasterChef 2006Winner: Peter Bayless Peter says, "I didn't believe that full time work in a professional kitchen was for a man of over 60, but that's exactly what I did do for six months working in the kitchens of Wingrove House in Alfriston, East Sussex, where last year's Where Are They Now? programme was filmed. I left there because I became too busy doing everything else. It was an important period for me though, not only to prove that I could do it, but also because there is always so much more one can learn." "I'm now a regular chef-teacher at the Taste-Italia cookery school in Ramsden Heath, Essex and teach Italian cooking skills. I've cooked for many private dinner parties and have even done some charity events for more than 100 people. There's talk about another book too". Try Peter's recipes. Finalist: Dean Edwards Dean says, "I've been very busy over the past year. One of the most exciting things I did was working on the BBC series Take on the Takeaway. I got to meet some amazing chefs, real legends such as Ken Hom. They all gave me some useful advice and even though I didn't get to cook, I learned a lot just being around people of their calibre. I've since worked with Jean-Christophe Novelli at his cookery academy, and also had an offer to work with Angela Hartnett when she opens her new restaurant!" "On a personal level I am still giving dinner parties and also very excited to be working on a cookbook proposal, the subject of which is very close to my heart and roots. It's hard work, but I’m really enjoying the challenge of working on and refining my recipes. My wife is especially happy as she is getting to try lots of new dishes! I'm really excited about the coming year; some of the things that have happened to me because of MasterChef have been unbelievable. So who knows what might be on the horizon". Try Dean's recipes. Finalist: Daksha Mistry Daksha says, "Since MasterChef my career has taken leaps and bounds, both in catering and my product development business. I created a fine Indian dining catering company called Daksha's and have just launched a South-east Asian luxury dinner kit range. I have also worked at restaurants The Ritz and Benares. I've written many recipes and am currently looking to publish a book. I have already completed NVQ level 3 and passed my professional cookery course, and I'm half-way through a Patisserie and Confectionery course to enhance my skills even further!" Try Daksha's recipes. MasterChef 2005Winner: Thomasina Miers Thomasina says of the competition, "I've never put my soul into something like I did with this. It was staggering to win; it was the most amazing feeling." Thomasina is now a TV chef and food writer whose work has taken her around the world: from cheese-making and running market stalls in Ireland, to being a committee member for Slow Food for four years in London, to opening a large restaurant and cocktail bar in Mexico City. Following her win, she spent six months at the celebrated Petersham Nurseries Café, cooking with head chef Skye Gyngell. She has gone on to write food articles for Waitrose Food Illustrated and the Financial Times, and she's had a regular column in Body & Soul in the Saturday Times for the past 14 months. She's also got three books under her belt. She co-presented Wild Gourmets on Channel 4 and has just finished filming another programme in Spain. In August 2007 Thomasina opened Wahaca, a restaurant cooking food inspired by the food markets of Mexico. Try Thomasina's recipes. Finalist: Caroline Brewester Caroline says, "My life has totally changed since MasterChef, which gave me the confidence to leave the City and move into food. After filming I went to Leith's cookery school and completed their Diploma course. For the past two years I have been living in New York and juggling motherhood with fulfilling my dream to be a food writer, working freelance for magazines such as BBC Good Food, Olive and Square Meal. I have also been working on cookbooks with other authors and I have a book of my own coming out in September 2008. I have also been doing some TV and magazine food styling for a few well-known US chefs and also for some visiting British celebrities, such as Nigella Lawson and Annabel Karmel". Try Caroline's recipes. Finalist: Mark Todd MasterChef finalist Mark Todd decided kitchen work wasn't for him and he now works as a designer. He told BBC Good Food magazine, "I currently work with people in the music industry and also illustrate comic books. Cooking is still an important part of my life and, as I work in London's East End, I can get hold of lots of fascinating ingredients to experiment with".
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