A father from Peckham, who became a head chef at thirty-years-old will compete in tonight’s episode of Masterchef: The Professionals for a place in the Quarter Final.
Brendan Edema, 31, from Peckham said he used to bake with his neighbour whilst his mum was at work.
“My earliest memory of cooking is as a kid baking cakes with my neighbour whilst my mum was working. That then developed into cooking more and more at home.
“It wasn’t really until my late teens that I decided to take it further and make it a career,” he explained.
Brendan trained at Westminster Kingsway College before working at Tom’s Kitchen in Somerset House.
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At the time of filming, he was working as head chef at Gather & Gather, a London-based food service catering for some of the biggest financial companies, including HSBC and Lloyds Bank.
Brendan added that becoming a head chef at thirty has been the highlight of his career so far. “It’s definitely my proudest moment,” he said.
“It’s been a windy road to get to this point but the more I cook, the more I love it and that’s what pushes me on.”
The new series – which marks the show’s 15th season – will see chefs from all over the country compete over six weeks to become the 2022 champion. Judging the competition will be new judge, the acclaimed chef and restaurateur Anna Haugh, Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing and celebrated MasterChef judge, Gregg Wallace.
Alongside three others, Brendan will be competing in tonight’s Heats in a bid to get through to tomorrow’s Quarter Final.
“I wanted to enter the competition for the experience, education, elevation and confidence within myself and even more so, my ability.”
“I love expressing myself through my food. I love using colours, telling stories with my dishes, but most of all cooking tasty food using fairly classical techniques.”
Watch Brendan on tonight’s episode of Masterchef: The Professionals on BBC One at 9pm or catch up on iplayer.
The Quarter Final airs on Friday 4th November at 8pm.
