As the new series of Masterchef: The Professionals 2014 starts today we're offering you a closer insight into new judge Marcus Wareing.

From the beginning of his career to Michelin-starred chef to Masterchef: The Professionals 2014 judge and all the bits in between.

1988 Having attained City & Guilds qualifications at Southport Catering College, Wareing began his career at the age of 18, as commis chef at the Savoy under chef de cuisine Anton Edelmann.

1990 Wareing moved to Michelin-starred Le Gavroche, where he cooked under Albert Roux. It was here that he first met Gordon Ramsay, who would profoundly influence his career.

1991 – 1993 During this period, Wareing cooked at the Point outside of New York, the Grand Hotel in Amsterdam with Albert Roux and as sous chef at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex. Throughout this time he worked at fine-tuning his knowledge of classic French cuisine.

1993 Wareing became sous chef for Gordon Ramsay at Aubergine, his restaurant in Chelsea.

1995 In a year’s break from cooking at Aubergine, Wareing worked with Daniel Bouloud in New York and Guy Savoy in Paris. It was in this year that he won the Young Chef of the Year award.

1996 Wareing became head chef at A-Z owned L’Oranger in London. The restaurant earned a Michelin star just one year later.

1999 Wareing left L’Oranger and A-Z to open a restaurant on St James’s Street, London, with Ramsay. They named it Pétrus after their favourite wine. Here Wareing was head chef, and the restaurant was awarded five AA rosettes and a Michelin star in 2000.

2003 In

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this busy year, Wareing became chef-patron of The Savoy Grill (which earned its first Michelin star a year later), opened Banquette, Wareing’s take on an American diner, at Savoy Hotel, and moved Pétrus to the Berkeley Hotel (to replace Pierre Koffmann’s La Tante Claire). Wareing also opened La Fleur at Pétrus’ previous site, however it closed in 2004 due to complications with the lease.

2008 Keen to separate himself from Ramsay’s shadow, Wareing changed Pétrus into Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley after winning a legal battle against Ramsay and Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH).

2011
Wareing opened restaurant and cocktail bar The Gilbert Scott in St Pancras renaissance Hotel, London, the second restaurant he owned besides Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley.

2012 Wareing assisted in the launch of Aalto, a restaurant at Birmingham’s Hotel La Tour. He devised dishes for the menu as well as having a hand in the employment of staff, offering his own kitchens for them to experiment in.

2014 This year, Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley was extensively refurbished to provide a more relaxed, dinner party-style experience for diners. The recession saw a decline in consumer demand for formal, expensive dining, and the new look of the restaurant reflected this, with drop cloths and burgundy furnishings disappearing in favour of light and airy décor. The restaurant reopened as Marcus.

And now... He has replaced Michel Roux Jr as fellow judge with Monica Galetti for the seventh series of MasterChef: The Professionals.

By Julia Watts

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