John Torode facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Torode
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Torode in 2010
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John Douglas Torode
23 July 1965 Melbourne, Australia
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| Occupation | Broadcaster, celebrity chef, restaurateur |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Employer | BBC |
| Known for | MasterChef |
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| Children | 4 |
John Douglas Torode MBE (born 23 July 1965) is a famous Australian-British celebrity chef and TV presenter. He moved to the UK in the 1990s. He started working in well-known restaurants there. John first appeared on TV on ITV's This Morning. Later, in 2005, he became a presenter for the popular cooking show MasterChef on BBC One. He has also owned restaurants and written many cookbooks. Some of these books were written with his MasterChef co-presenter, Gregg Wallace.
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John's Early Life
John Douglas Torode was born in Melbourne, Australia, on 23 July 1965. He was the youngest of three boys. When he was four, his mother passed away. From ages four to ten, he lived in Maitland, New South Wales, with his brother Andrew and his grandmother. His grandmother was very important because she taught him how to cook.
After that, he lived in Edithvale, Melbourne, with his father and brothers. His father often traveled for work. John started his cooking journey at age 16. He left school to go to a catering college. He says that his childhood food was quite normal. Roast chicken is still one of his favorite dishes. It reminds him of his childhood.
John's Cooking Career
John moved to the United Kingdom in 1991. A year later, he started working as a sous chef for the Conran Group. This meant he helped the main chef in big restaurants like Le Pont de la Tour and Quaglino's. While working at Quaglino's, he met Gregg Wallace for the first time. Gregg's company supplied vegetables to the restaurant.
TV Shows and Cookbooks
John first cooked on ITV's This Morning in 1996. He continued on the show until 2000. In 1998, his cookbook called The Mezzo Cookbook won an award for its amazing food photography.
He has presented many TV shows. One show was New British Kitchen for the Good Food channel. It showed how different foods from other countries have changed British cooking. John also appeared on the BBC's The Magicians. For this show, he and Gregg Wallace did a magic stunt. They were hung off the side of the Tate Modern building in London!
Travel and Food Adventures
In 2014, John presented John Torode's Australia. This show had 10 episodes. He traveled around Australia, exploring the foods and people that inspired him as a child. It was very popular on BBC Good Food.
In 2015, he presented John Torode's Argentina. This show was part of the BBC Two series A Cook Abroad. He focused on how Argentina produces and cooks beef. He even joined gauchos (cowboys) on a livestock ranch.
John's 2016 show was John Torode's Malaysian Adventure. This 10-part series explored the exciting food of Malaysia. He traveled from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi Island. He cooked with local chefs and visited night markets.
He also had a Korean Food Tour in 2017. In this show, he traveled around South Korea. He tried many traditional dishes. Then he created his own modern versions of Korean classics.
His culinary adventures continued with John Torode's Asia in 2017/2018. This show was very successful. John looked for inspiring cooks in different Asian countries. He discovered the unique flavors of their food. He cooked with local chefs and explored street food markets. He even made traditional dumplings with a family in Beijing.
In 2018, John Torode's Middle East aired. In this show, John traveled across the Middle East. He searched for delicious foods and recipes.
Since March 2019, John has hosted John And Lisa's Weekend Kitchen. He presents this show with actress and food writer Lisa Faulkner. It airs on Sunday mornings on ITV.
In 2022, John Torode's Ireland premiered on Food Network. This six-part series showed John exploring the diverse food of Ireland. In early 2024, John and Lisa Faulkner presented John & Lisa's Food Trip Down Under. This ITV1 series was about the food and drink of Western Australia.
MasterChef Success
In 2005, the BBC cooking show MasterChef was relaunched. John Torode and Gregg Wallace became the new presenters. John enjoys that the show is not scripted. He likes that the cameras capture real moments between the judges and the contestants.
MasterChef became very popular. It was sold to 25 other countries. The show also created a spin-off called Celebrity MasterChef. John and Gregg also hosted this show.
John has also co-presented Junior MasterChef. This show features young chefs. He first hosted it with Nadia Sawalha. Later, he hosted it with Donal Skehan.
Guest Appearances
John Torode has been a guest on many other TV shows. These include BBC One's The One Show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, and The Graham Norton Show. He has also appeared on ITV's Loose Women and This Morning.
John's Personal Life
John Torode has four children. He was married to Jessica in 2000. They had a son and a daughter together. They separated in 2011 and divorced in 2014. He also has two other children from earlier relationships.
John has been in a relationship with actress and Celebrity Masterchef winner Lisa Faulkner since 2015. They got married on 24 October 2019 in Oxfordshire.
In 2022, John Torode was given a special honor. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This was for his great work in food and for charity.
Books by John Torode
- Torode, John (2019) Sydney To Seoul. London: Headline Publishing Group. ISBN: 9781472225863
