Show's judges were wowed by the Wisconsin-born Londoner's use of exotic flavours and worldwide influences
Blog: Did the right person win Masterchef?
They survived exploding souffles, wobbly croques-en-bouche and foraging for foodstuffs on the rainforest floor. And last night 11 weeks of competitive cookery came to a close as Tim Anderson beat his fellow MasterChef finalists to claim the 2011 crown.
The 26-year-old became the show's youngest winner, seeing off fellow finalists Tom Whitaker and Sara Danesin Medio with his experimental culinary approach.
Anderson, who grew up in Wisconsin and lives in north London, has included elements of Japanese cookery in his dishes. His final menu for judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace included monkfish liver served with umeboshi ketchup, jellied ponzu and matcha mayonnaise; Kyushu-style pork ramen with truffled lobster; and a cheddar cheesecake with whisky jelly.
"I became interested in Japanese food when I was about 15, but I didn't cook much until I was about 20. My passion really took off when I lived in Japan from when I was 22 to 24, and since then cooking has been one of my greatest obsessions," Anderson said. He describes one starter at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo as "so beautiful it nearly made me cry".
Torode said: "Tim was in a different world altogether. He had influences from Norway, Japan, America, Australia and the UK. That all coming together gave us the best culinary explosion we've ever seen in MasterChef."
As is customary for MasterChef, the competitors spent weeks creating dishes in impossible timeframes in occasionally ridiculous environments. Challenges included cooking for circus performers in a tent in Peckham, catering for participants at the Invercharron Highland Games, rustling up dishes for a television series wrap party, and providing lunch for Torode's close family and friends in Australia.
After success as a BBC2 early evening show and latterly in BBC1 primetime, MasterChef was given something of an overhaul this series, taking cues from the highly successful Australian spin-off.
Reaction to the revamp was mixed, with some viewers unimpressed by an X Factor-style audition round that saw Torode ditch his usual shouty style and shed a tear, and programme makers focus more on the individual journeys of the hopeful cooks hoping to ? in MasterChef parlance ? "change their lives".
However, the 20 who made it through the later stages of the competition, were given the opportunity to learn from chefs including Michel Roux, Yotam Ottolenghi, John Campbell and Tom Kitchin, who all tutored the hopefuls.
At one point it looked as if the final might include a vegetarian for the first time, until Jackie Kearney's departure in the semi-final.
"Looking back on all the amazing cooks that left before me, it really is quite humbling to have come out on top," said Anderson. "Humbling but super-awesome at the same time. Really, it is a good feeling. I'm very proud of the accomplishment."
Anderson manages a craft beer bar outside London Euston station while he plans his next move. "The big, silly long term goal is to have an empire, hopefully including several regional Japanese restaurants and an American-style brewpub," he said. "But for the moment I'm really anxious to get into some professional kitchens and work in whatever capacity I can." Former winners of MasterChef include Thomasina Miers in 2005, the last woman to win, who has opened four branches of her Mexican restaurant Wahaca in London; Mat Follas, who opened his restaurant, the Wild Garlic, in Dorset; and James Nathan, who has since worked in Rick Stein's kitchen. The show has spawned a number of spin-offs: MasterChef the Professionals, Celebrity MasterChef and Junior MasterChef.
? This article was amended on 28 April 2011. The original said there are two branches of Wahaca in London. This has been corrected.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/27/masterchef-winner-delivers-culinary-explosion
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