If you watched the most recent season of Gordon Ramsay’s “MasterChef,” then you probably teared up a little when Ramsay pulled an Oprah and promised to pay for 19-year-old contestant Gabriel Lewis’s culinary education upon his elimination.
What we didn’t see on TV: Lewis chose Johnson & Wales University’s Denver Campus for his schooling.
“I came to tour the facility in February and fell in love with the college, facility and curriculum,” Lewis, from Oklahoma City, said of his decision to come to Denver for culinary school. “(JWU Denver) keeps you on your toes and doesn’t allow you to grow stagnant. It’s a motto in my life to never get comfortable; it allows for progress.”
Lewis started at JWU Denver this past March, after “MasterChef” filming had wrapped. But the show didn’t air until summer. That meant Lewis had a big secret to keep from his instructors and fellow students. Once the show aired, Lewis said that students thought it was pretty cool, but gave him a hard time if he ever messed up anything in class.
Lewis, definitely one of the more likable and humble contestants this season, made it to the top seven on “MasterChef,” and upon being kicked off (for lackluster cannelloni), Ramsay got uncharacteristically emotional:
“Young man, it’s very rare we see such raw talent that’s got amazing potential come through this competition. You’ve got the potential to be huge in this industry. You just need the right training. So I am personally going to send you to culinary school.”
It wasn’t just lip service; Lewis said that the famous British chef kept his word and has paid for everything. In return, Lewis keeps Ramsay updated on his grades.
Back to that cannelloni: When JWU Denver chef instructor Squire Davidson saw that cannelloni got Lewis booted from the show, Davidson made sure that he had the chance to redeem himself. For Lewis’s final exam, he had to recreate the dish that got him eliminated from “MasterChef.”
He nailed it.
“To me that was amazing that he (Davidson) went back and said, ‘I’m going to make you replicate that so you can fix your mistake,‘” Lewis said.
But alas, Mile High City diners may never get the chance to taste Lewis’s food. Upon graduation in 2019 he plans on heading straight to New Orleans, where another “MasterChef” judge, Aaron Sanchez, promised Lewis a job in one of his restaurants.
“The judges are very knowledgeable. They’re the best teachers I’ve had in my life,” Lewis said. “The show was an amazing experience. They taught me a lot of techniques and pushed me to retain that information and build on it.”
Considering the stress of the show and his disappointing outcome, would he do it again?
“In a heartbeat.”
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