the Rural Economy, Fergus Ewing said: "The appointment of Gary Maclean as our National Chef will play a central role in celebrating the rich larder of produce that we have available and advocate the use of locally sourced, healthy, sustainable and affordable food.
“Scotland’s food and drink sector is a global success story and one of the main contributors to our economy. We want to build upon this success by becoming a world-leading good food nation where nutritious, fresh and environmentally sustainable food is a key part of what makes people proud of their country, and Gary will play a leading role in delivering this ambition.”
The food and drink sector in Scotland is now worth an estimated £13.5bn a year.
Gary Maclean is senior chef lecturer at City of Glasgow College. The chef rose to prominence after appearing on the ninth series of the UK’s MasterChef: The Professionals eventually winning the show and joining a long list of previous winners.
Gary qualified as a chef almost 30 years ago and has worked in numerous top restaurants around Glasgow before he became a chef lecturer at the college where he trained. He has been with City of Glasgow College for 13 years.
