Who is MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 chef, Burhan Ahmed?

Introducing Burhan Ahmed, one of 32 contestants taking part in the MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 competition airing on BBC One for six weeks from November 10th until the final on Thursday 17th December.

Burhan is a chef de partie at Drayton Manor Hotel in Coventry. He impressed the judges and critics Jay Rayner and Tracy MacLeod in the quarter-finals, and will face Monica Galetti, Marcus Wareing and Gregg Wallace in the semi-finals of the competition on Tuesday, 8th December. 

1) Full name

Burhan Ahmed 

2) Nickname

Bunsen Burhan

3) Age

23

4) Where are you from / where do you live?

Born and bred in Coventry, my family is from Bangladesh

5) What type of a chef are you?

I am classically trained

7) do you have a favourite type of cuisine?

 My favourite cuisine is Middle Eastern

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

I became a chef as I always had a passion for food and making people happy with food so decided to persue a career in it and went to catering college.

9) Where have you worked?

I’ve worked at one Michelin-starred Outlaw's at The Capital in Knightsbridge , and I've been a chef de partie at Parklands Brasserie at Drayton Manor in Tamworth for three and a half years. 

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

The first person who inspired me to cook was Raymond Blanc. His passion and enthusiasm were infectious!

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

My guilty pleasure has to be a cheese & pickle toastie...

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

Best thing about being a chef is when you receive good feedback about your food and someone really enjoys it. The worst thing about being a chef is lack of a social life, having to always be on your feet and seeing your workmates more than your family.

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

Stepping into the Masterchef kitchen was a dream come true, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and was so grateful for the opportunity.

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

2020 has been ups and downs for me. Obviously the highlight of my year was being on Masterchef.

It’s all worked out in the end as if it wasn’t for lockdown I probably wouldn’t have entered Masterchef this year as wouldn’t have had the time.