MasterChef: The Professionals finalist praised for 'outstanding achievement' with certificate of recognition
A MasterChef finalist has been commended for inspiring chefs across the industry
A Portsmouth-born chef, who has been in the spotlight over the past few weeks after making it to the finals of MasterChef: The Professionals, has been presented with a special certificate of recognition.
Luke Emmess, who was raised in Leigh Park, Havant, has spent the best part of his adult career perfecting his culinary skills, and is no stranger to taking part in competitions, after winning Fuller’s Chef of the Year in 2016.
The 33-year-old, who is now the head chef The Wykeham Arms, in Winchester, has been praised by Winchester’s Mayor Cllr Sudhakar Achwal for “inspiring” chefs in the industry after taking part in the BBC competition.
In a previous interview, Luke said: “I’ve done other competitions in my career, but this is by far the biggest. I wanted to get back out there and thought ‘why not, let’s have a go’.
“It was amazing. You can’t get that kind of experience anywhere else. No one would normally get to spend the time with those types of chefs and I feel really lucky and honoured to be part of it.
“I’m sure I’ll get an itch and want to do it again - there are lots of competitions out there.”
Although the winning title went to Gareth Baty, from Cumbria, Luke has not gone unnoticed, with Winchester City Council’s chief executive Laura Taylor and the Mayor paying him a visit at work this week.
The mayor said: “To reach the final of such a prestigious and widely respected programme is a truly outstanding accomplishment. Luke’s achievement is an inspiration to aspiring chefs and a source of great pride for the whole district. I warmly congratulate Luke on this remarkable milestone and look forward to seeing his continued success as he builds on this well-deserved recognition.”
Luke, who now lives in Bedhampton with his wife and four children, impressed judges Matt Tebbutt, Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing while vying for top spot, with his goat’s cheese dish, created in honour of his wife, securing a stellar verdict.
Luke continued: “My family is a lot of the reason that has pushed me to do well in my career. They are all so supportive and used to me being a chef and the working hours. Being away doing MasterChef was just like a very busy period at work.I have four kids and had my first at 17 so started quite early; being a young dad was not easy and I wanted to prove a point.
“I made sure I finished college when it would have been so easy for me to drop out. I moved out of home when I was 16 and I was very determined at a young age to stand on my own two feet and support my family.
"I have worked for Fuller’s for 11 years and I am not planning on going anywhere soon. I really enjoy working at The Wykeham Arms and it’s a great place for me to express myself - MasterChef demonstrated a different side of my cooking – as we have pub food but we also do tasting menus.
After cooking up a storm in the MasterChef kitchen, Luke will also be taking to the stage at the South Downs Food Festival in June.
The annual festival, at Stansted Park, takes place on June 6 and 7, and showcases the very best of food and drink producers, artists and creators from Portsmouth and the surrounding area.