Graham Elliot
Elliot in 2014
Born
Graham Elliot Bowles

(1977-01-04) January 4, 1977 (age 47)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
EducationJohnson & Wales University
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
    • Graham Elliot
    • G. E. B. (Graham Elliot Bistro)
Television show(s)

Graham Elliot Bowles (born January 4, 1977) is an American chef, restaurateur, and reality television personality. He first gained recognition in the restaurant business as a three-time nominee for the James Beard Award. In 2004, he was named to Food & Wine's "Best New Chefs" list, and became the youngest chef in the United States to receive four stars from a major publication (Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times).[1]

Among television viewers, he gained fame as a contestant on the programs Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters, and as a judge on the first six seasons of the American MasterChef and its spinoff, MasterChef Junior.

Early life

Elliot was born on January 4, 1977 in Seattle, Washington.[2][3] A self-described "Navy brat", Elliot has traveled the world and all fifty states,[4] sparking an intense interest in food and music, which led him to attend Johnson & Wales University.[3]

Career

In 2004, Elliot was named to Food & Wine's "Best New Chefs" list, and he became the youngest chef in the States to receive four stars from a major publication (Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times) before the age of 30.[1]

At the age of 27 he was the youngest four-star chef to be named in any city, also earning himself a spot on Crain's Chicago Business list of "40 Under Forty", alongside President Barack Obama, for whom Elliot cooked on the President's 49th birthday.[5]

In May 2008, he opened his eponymous restaurant, which was the first French casual fine dining restaurant in Chicago.[6]

In 2009, Elliot appeared on the TV show Top Chef Masters. In the show, he cooked for The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a charity with which he became associated as a result of his nephew's need for a heart transplant.

In 2010, the series MasterChef premiered, with Elliot as one of the three judges. In 2013, the series spun off a child version of the program, MasterChef Junior, on which Elliot also was featured as a judge. He left the franchise in September 2015, following the completion of season 6 of the parent program.[7]

In 2016, he became a judge on Top Chef.[8]

Awards and honors

Graham Elliot Restaurant received three stars from the Chicago Tribune, and two stars in the 2013 Michelin Guide.[9]

He has been nominated for a James Beard Award three times.[10]

Collaborations and marketing

In addition to being judge and host of MasterChef and MasterChef Junior from 2010 to 2016, Graham has also been a judge on Food Network's Cooks vs. Cons hosted by Geoffrey Zakarian.[11][12] He also appeared as a special guest in MasterChef Canada Season 2, Episode 9 and MasterChef Italia Season 3, Episode 9.

He has worked as the Culinary Director at Lollapalooza, a three-day music festival in Chicago, every year since 2009, where he has cooked for both the public as well as backstage for the performers.[4]

In June 2012, he opened Graham Elliot Bistro in Chicago's West Loop. The bistro uses traditional techniques and ingredients to showcase its take on classic American cuisine.[13] That same year, Elliot was named Chef of the Year and inducted into the Chicago Chefs Hall of Fame.[14] Additionally, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proclaimed September 19 "Graham Elliot Day" in the city of Chicago.[15]

In 2017, Elliot was in an infomercial for the Gotham Steel Double Grill.[16]

Personal life

Elliot resided in Morgan Park on the south side of Chicago with wife/business partner and his three children.

Elliot sings and plays guitar.[12] He also collects baseball cards.[17]

In 2013, Elliot underwent weight loss surgery and took up jogging, losing 150 pounds (68 kg) and reducing his weight to 250 pounds (110 kg), explaining the decision as a response to becoming a father.[18][19]

References

  1. ^ a b Vettel, Phil (August 2, 2012). "Acid trip". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Front Burner: Graham Elliot Bowles Archived 2011-06-23 at the Wayback Machine, Chicago, June 2008 (accessed June 24, 2011)
  3. ^ a b Graham Elliot Archived 2010-04-13 at the Wayback Machine at starchefs.com
  4. ^ a b "Graham Elliot Bio". Food Network. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  5. ^ "Graham Elliot". PBS. Archived from the original on 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  6. ^ "Bio: Graham Elliot Bowles". BravoTV.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  7. ^ Pedersen, Erik (December 18, 2015). "Graham Elliot Leaving 'MasterChef' Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Laura Rosenfeld (June 5, 2016). "Graham Elliot Joins the Top Chef Season 14 Judges' Table". BravoTV. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Vettel, Phil (November 13, 2012). "Michelin Chicago Guide 2013: Alinea, L2O, Graham Elliot grab top honors" Archived 2012-12-15 at the Wayback Machine. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  10. ^ "Gordon Ramsay Has A New Fox Show". TV.com. November 6, 2009. Archived from the original on June 24, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  11. ^ Russo, Maria (February 2016). "It's Anyone's Game in a Culinary Battle of Cooks vs. Cons". Food Network. Archived from the original on February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Graham Elliot". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  13. ^ "Graham Elliot's G.E.B. Opens in the West Loop". seriouseats.com. 2012. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  14. ^ "Chicago Chefs Hall of Fame inducts Graham Elliot and Jacquy Pfeiffer | The Local Tourist". chicago.thelocaltourist.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  15. ^ Bendersky, Ari (September 19, 2012). "Put on Your Party Hat: It's Graham Elliot Day in Chicago". Eater. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  16. ^ "Other Works". IMDB. Archived from the original on 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  17. ^ "Chef Graham Elliot's Search For Ultimate Baseball Card Collection Is Never-Ending" Archived 2021-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Forbes. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Graham Elliot Weight Loss: Chef Drops 128 Pounds In 4 Months" Archived 2021-08-01 at the Wayback Machine. HuffPost. December 4, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  19. ^ "Celebrity Chef Graham Elliot On Weight Loss: I 'Couldn't Play With My Kid'" Archived 2021-08-01 at the Wayback Machine. HuffPost. Retrieved January 2, 2020.