Why did Graham leave MasterChef? It is known or?
Introduction
The height of a professional chef’s career might be a restaurant of their own with a couple of Michelin stars.
But has a chef really made it in the restaurant industry if they haven’t done a stint on television?
Many of the biggest chefs in the food industry only became household names after appearing as judges on shows like Top Chef, The Final Table, and Iron Chef America.
Even Gordon Ramsay—an iconic celebrity chef—has done his time as a judge, television host, and cooking show teacher.
Another chef who was able to parlay his skills in the kitchen into celebrity-status entertainment is Graham Elliot.
The three-time James Beard Award nominee and winner of 2004’s Food & Wine Best New Chef title walked into a full-time judging role on the legendary American MasterChef.
For six seasons—and another few on the popular spin-off MasterChef Junior—Graham Elliot graced our screens and won the hearts of fans across America. And then, in 2015, he left the show.
In 2022, plenty of fans still ask the question: why did Graham leave MasterChef?
Here’s everything you need to know about Graham Elliot leaving MasterChef, his time on the show, and his career so far.
What did Graham Elliot do before MasterChef?
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Graham Elliot Bowles is a US-born and raised chef, restaurant creator, and—eventually—television celebrity.
He first caught mainstream attention in the early 2000s following three nominations for the James Beard Award—a culinary accolade that goes to the best of American chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary authors.
Elliot followed that up when he made Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs list in 2004, and again a year later when the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times awarded his restaurant four stars.
At the time, he hadn’t even turned 30 yet.
Crain’s Chicago Business listed him as one of 40 Under Forty.
He cooked for President Barack Obama on the President’s 49th birthday and opened his French fine dining restaurant in the heart of Chicago in 2008.
How did Graham Elliot get famous?
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Graham Elliot, who was born in 1977, was famous in culinary circles well before the rest of us saw him on television.
But then, in 2009, he appeared on Top Chef Masters to cook in a fundraising event for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Elliot’s connection with the charity came through his nephew, who was at the time in need of a heart transplant.
Graham wanted to bring attention to the foundation and to the work it does, and he hoped to raise money to support the work that still needed to be done.
The following year, Graham would get the biggest television role of his culinary career.
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Why did Graham leave American MasterChef?
So, why did Graham Elliot leave MasterChef? In 2010, Graham Elliot signed on to join the judging panel on the American version of the hit global phenomenon, MasterChef.
Elliot joined Joe Bastianich and Gordon Ramsay on the panel. Bastianich, a James Beard Award-winner, stepped down from the hit show after five years as a judge, and was replaced by Milk Bar owner and sweet treat creator, Christina Tosi.
The MasterChef franchise has been an international success.
Beginning in the UK in 1990, it was resurrected for a new audience in 2005, with an Australian version launching in 2005.
While MasterChef Australia has arguably been the biggest hit worldwide, the US version has drawn countless accolades and an impressive judging panel.
In 2015—the year after Bastianich stepped down—Elliot released a statement to announce his retirement from the show.
Explaining that being a judge on MasterChef had been “an awesome experience,” Graham praised his fellow judges and the show’s contestants for everything he had learned.
He thanked them for letting him share his own “love of cooking with the audiences” and told fans to look forward to what he hoped would be some exciting announcements moving forward. The specific reasons for his decision to leave weren’t publicly disclosed. Even after his departure, fans continue to speculate and inquire about Elliot’s reasons for leaving. However, the details remain undisclosed.
What did Gordon Ramsay say about Graham leaving MasterChef?
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Gordon Ramsay, who owns one of the production companies behind American MasterChef, was also a judge alongside Graham and Christina Tosi.
Following Graham’s departure, FOX and the MasterChef production companies called Elliot an “incredible judge and mentor” and thanked him for his “insightful guidance and support to hundreds of participants.”
Gordon Ramsay also went public with his thoughts, saying he had “loved having Graham as part of the MasterChef family.”
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What did Graham do after MasterChef?
Several months after Graham stepped down as a MasterChef judge, the Bravo network announced that he would be joining them on the judges’ panel for Season 16 of Top Chef.
Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and Richard Blais welcomed him to the fold.
“Being a judge on TV shows has been very, very good to me,” he said.
Graham also continues to serve as Culinary Director at Lollapalooza—the multi-day Chicago music festival where he cooks for the public and performers each year since 2009.
He has been inducted into the Chicago Chefs Hall of Fame, and the city’s Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, declared September 19 the city’s “Graham Elliot Day.”
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