Who is MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 chef, Jonathan 'Jono' Hawthorne?

Introducing Jonathan 'Jono' Hawthorne, one of 32 chefs taking part in MasterChef: The Professionals 2020, airing on BBC One for six weeks from November 10th, until the final on Thursday 17th December.

Head chef at Vice and Virtue in Leeds, Jono has impressed judges Monica Galetti, Marcus Wareing and Gregg Wallace as well as critics Grace Dent and Tom Parker-Bowles with his inventive style and meticulous execution.

Michelin-starred Andrew Wong too loved his take on the Chinese classic Dim Sum in the semi-finals challenge, securing him a spot in the finals.

Who is in the MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 final?

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

1) Full name

Jonathan Hawthorne 

2) Nickname

Jono, or @ChefJono on social media 

3) Age

31 

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

Leeds, West Yorkshire 

5) What type of a chef are you?

Currently I am the head chef at Vice & Virtue restaurant in Leeds. I would say that I'm focused, driven and always the hardest worker in the room. 

6) Do you have a favourite type of cuisine?

Thai cuisine, the reason being that it’s absolutely delicious. 

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

I started my training at the Thomas Danby food college in Leeds, and then was taken on by Wayne Brimbicombe to finish my apprenticeship at Beeties in Saltaire. As my head chef he taught me the fundamentals and the finesse of cooking. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher. 

8) Where have you worked

Noma, Quay, Automata, Marque, Firedoor, The Man Behind the Curtain, The Box Tree, et al.

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

I generally look up to people who started with nothing and worked hard to get what they wanted. 

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

Turkey dinosaurs, potato smileys, spaghetti hoops... The daim bar cake from Aldi is fire. 

Not really a guilty pleasure, I just eat like this :')

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

Best thing is that you get as much coffee as you like. The worst thing is when the coffee runs out!

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

It was great, obviously a nerve-wracking experience as you're up against some of the country’s best chefs, they all want to win and only one chef can - so the pressure is huge. 

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

This year has been a whirlwind of emotion and stress, but we will bounce back and overcome as hospitality always does.