Who is MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 finalist, Alex Webb?

The Staff Canteen

 

Introducing Alex Webb, one of 32 chefs on MasterChef: The Professionals 2020, airing on BBC One every tuesday and wednesday for six weeks starting on November 10th. The Final will be on Thursday 17th december.

Alex Webb is the head chef at Square 1 Restaurant and Catering in Dunmow, just a few doors away from The Flitch of Bacon

He impressed judges Monica Galetti, Marcus Wareing and Gregg Wallace, critics Tom Parker-Bowles and Grace Dent, and Michelin-starred chef Aktar Islam, earning himself a spot in finals week.

Alex is among the final four chefs in MasterChef:The Professionals 2020.

Who is in the MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 final?

Alex will be returning to our screens alongside chefs Bart van der Lee and Philli Armitage-Mattin on Tuesday, 15th December. 

Full name

Alexander Webb 

Nickname 

Chef Webb or Webby

Age

25 

Where are you from / where do you live? 

Essex/Australian, I currently live in Great Dunmow, Essex.

What type of a chef are you? 

I would say modern but I love using classics. 

Do you have a favourite type of cuisine? 

French is for sure my favourite, but I love Asian cuisine as well.

How did you become a chef?  (e.g. formal training, apprenticeship, self-taught)

I wanted to be a chef from an early age and started in my local restaurant at 14 as a pot wash, where I am now head chef.

Where have you worked?

I trained at The Savoy Hotel in London, then on to Michelin stared Hélène Darroze, Heston Dinner, Roux at Parliament Square, The Frog in Hoxton, and now head chef at Square 1 restaurant.

Who are your mentors/role models/people you look up to, in your professional and/or personal life?

I have always looked up to Jamie Oliver as he’s from Essex.

What is your guilty pleasure dish (not necessarily cheffy, cheesy baked beans on toast is a perfectly respectable reply!)? 

I really love Five Guys burgers with a half coke and fanta combo. 

What is the best thing / worst thing about being a chef?

The best thing is getting the fresh produce and turning it into something delicious.

The worst I would say are the hours, but after 9 years in the kitchen I am used to it.

How did it feel to step onto the set of MasterChef: The Professionals? 

Walking into the MasterChef kitchen I was so nervous, but after meeting the judges in the skills test I was at ease.

How did 2020 compare you what you thought it would be this time last year?

I don’t think anyone contemplated what would happen this year. For hospitality it’s been awful, but we definitely will come back stronger! 

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 15th December 2020

Who is MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 finalist, Alex Webb?