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Master Chef winner Grant Gillon talks about his rise to the top

DES MOINES, Iowa — An Altoona man is riding high in the culinary world after taking home the title of Master Chef.

Grant Gillon outcooked 19 other contestants during the United Tastes of America season of Master Chef. The finale aired Wednesday night and Grant celebrated the win with family at a watch party at Spectators Sports Bar and Grill.

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Gillon joined WHO 13’s Justin Surrency on Today in Iowa Friday morning to talk about the big win and how he featured flavors from his home state.

“You know, the whole point of that menu is to show off where you’re from, who you are, and what you can cook, obviously. And so to be able to bring Iowa to the plate, you know, I don’t know maybe it was a little bit too simple, but that was a beautiful pork tenderloin. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be prepared and cooked and to be able to put that on the plate along with those other elements for my Italian heritage to really bring it all together and really put me on a plate. I thought it was pretty perfect,” Gillon said.

He also spoke about the mentorship provided by Chef Gordon Ramsey, who has become notorious for his abrasive personality in the kitchen.

“Gordon is one of the kindest people honestly that I’ve ever met. He truly cared about each and every one of us in the competition and he wanted us to be the best cooks that we can be. So yeah, he has that television persona,” Gillon said. “And you know, it’s because he has high standards. He wants us to do really, really well because that reflects on him too. So, you know, you see that coming through on the television, but that man could not be nicer.”

Part of Gillon’s Master Chef prize was a check for $250,000 and some very high-end kitchen appliances.

Gillon works as the Director of Sales at Kinship Brewing Company in Waukee.

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Sebrina Pilcher

Update: 2024-05-03