MasterChef Winner Michael Leonard Says These Tips From The Judges Led Him To Victory

When "MasterChef" began its 14th season in May, it came with a new concept: Generations. This time the chefs would be split into four groups: Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964), Gen Xers (1965 – 1980), Millennials (1981 – 1996), and finally, Gen Z (1997 – 2010). After 18 episodes, a trip to BMO Stadium, and a restaurant takeover, a victor has emerged. Michael Leonard, the 27 year-old Millennial from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, walked away from the MasterChef finale with a brand new Viking kitchen, $250,000, and the title of MasterChef.

It's no surprise that Leonard found himself wearing the MasterChef crown. The young chef continuously landed in the top, winning five challenges throughout the season. But it was that final three-course meal and his mother's spirit that helped him garner that most important win. For his final meal, Leonard wanted to showcase his "roots" and what he's learned during his time in the competition. His first two courses, a black truffle tortellini with a preserved lemon vinaigrette and an herb-crusted rack of venison in a blackberry wine sauce, received rave reviews from the judges. However, it was the dessert course, a reimagining of a classic peach cobbler his mother used to make before she passed away last year, that cemented the win. 

Both Aaron Sanchez and Gordon Ramsay said they could taste the passion in the dish. In an exclusive interview with Tasting Table, Leonard says that he felt as if his mother was there comforting him "even when I was messing up." He tells us that while his hands were shaking from being overwhelmed with emotion, he could almost hear his mother telling him, "It's going to be okay. You're going to make it through the show. You can do this."

Even though Michael Leonard was completely confident in his final menu, that wasn't the case in the beginning. The Millennial contestant admits that he was extremely nervous when the show began, despite the fact that he's been cooking since he was a child. In an early episode, Leonard knocked over bottles at his station, earning some attention from judge Joe Bastianich, who said that Leonard had a lot going on and had "to pull it together." 

While that may have described Leonard in the premiere, viewers saw a very different chef in the finale. Leonard was filled with confidence and determination, and says he has the advice and guidance of judges to thank for that assurance.

"I've gotten a lot of tips about technique," he explains. "How to test your pasta, testing the springiness of your dough, seasoning properly, seasoning throughout, just to make sure everything's properly seasoned." The young chef got some life lessons as well. He was told to always be "confident, keep persevering, push through, pivot, edit," he continues. "All those kinds of things play a big role in making sure that I'm successful not only in the kitchen, but in life as well." 

Leonard took those notes to heart and continued to use them throughout the competition. In fact, it was those little tips that the chef says set him apart from his competitors, since they're what the judges wanted. "Taking that and running with it definitely helped me succeed during competition," he declares.

Now that Leonard has the title of MasterChef will he open a restaurant like some of the previous MasterChef winners? Or will he write a cookbook, perhaps sharing his recipes on social media along the way. He's actually not going to do any of those things. At least not right away. While the Millennial absolutely plans to focus on professional cooking for his career, before he starts catering and creating plenty of drool-worthy social media content, the chef says he wants to travel and "taste different cuisines of the world." He insists that he needs to do that before he can even think about opening a restaurant "so I can really hone in on what I really want to cook after I learn all those different techniques and cuisines."

What's the first stop on his itinerary? France. "I really like French cuisine," he declares. "I think it's the foundations of a lot of cooking that we use today." But that's not the only country he plans on visiting. He also wants to go Asia, Italy, and Spain. "There's lot of places that I want to go to," Leonard continues. "South America. But it's all a matter of which place and when." We can't wait to see what he discovers during his travels and which delicacy he'll focus on. Based on the dishes we watched him create this season, we're sure no matter what he settles on, it's going to be amazing.