John Torode burst onto the British culinary scene after emigrating from his native Australia at the age of 25. He made his name cooking prime-cut meat dishes at Terrance Conran’s most revered London dining hotspots – Pont de la Tour, Quaglino's and Mezzo – before landing a broadcasting contract as a resident chef on the popular TV morning magazine show Richard and Judy.
In 2000, John established himself as a restaurateur in his own right by opening his New York style Smiths of Smithfield in a grand grade II listed building in the heart of Smithfield Market, London’s only working meat market. Guided by a mission “to serve simple food made from the finest ingredients”, it became an instant success and prompted him to open a second establishment called Luxe in 2009. Under his leadership, turnover of the two restaurants reached a reported £9.2 million.
John’s passion for locally farmed meat earned him presidency of the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 2008. He has also authored several bestselling books on cooking protein to perfection, including John Torode's Beef and John Torode's Chicken and Other Birds.
In addition to presenting and judging MasterChef since 2005, John’s broadcasting CV includes the recent John Torode's Australia. The ten-part series saw him return to his homeland to retrace the flavours of his childhood that ignited his passion for food, and was the most watched show on BBC Good Food in 2014.
Outside of the kitchen, John is fanatical about running, which he claims has helped him to manage his long battle with asthma.