Ex-student Dan dubbed ‘star in the making’ after scooping MasterChef: The Professionals title

He's been crowned the latest MasterChef champion and been described as a 'star in the making' – and it all began at University College Birmingham for Dan Lee.

The 29-year-old was last night revealed as the winner of series 14 of the BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals, ten years on from studying for his Professional Cookery Level 2 diploma at the University's College of Food.

Dan, who works as a private chef, grew up in Birmingham and was introduced to cooking in the kitchen of his auntie's Chinese takeaway, inspiring him to later start his training.

Speaking on last night's show about his childhood days in the takeaway kitchen, Dan said: "I think that's where I could see the greatness in food and what it could do, and that's when it kind of pushed me to learn how to do it.

"I started at the College of Food. It all started to click that I can use this to travel – I've always wanted to travel."

Spending much of the next decade in Singapore, Dan started to gather culinary inspiration from many sources in the Far East and combining them with the influences of his upbringing in the UK, creating a style of modern European and Asian cuisine which proved hugely popular throughout his time in this year's MasterChef competition.

Returning from Singapore as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, Dan ended up working in a supermarket before applying for the hit BBC TV series – thereby following in the footsteps of a string of ex-University College Birmingham students to star in the show, including chef Leo Kattou of the city's Michelin-starred Simpson's Restaurant and 2011 MasterChef finalist Claire Hutchings, as well as fellow 2021 contestant Yasmine Selwood.

And having overcome a string of challenges to reach the final week, Thursday night’s episode saw him beat his two remaining rivals to win the coveted title.

Kali Davidson, head of the University’s Birmingham College of Food, said: "Dan started his journey and passion for cooking with us at University College Birmingham in 2009 and excelled within his class.

"It takes an enormous amount of dedication to stand out within the culinary world, and Dan has proven that with hard work and a passion to succeed, you can achieve great things.

"As the leading centre of excellence for chef training and culinary expertise, we are truly delighted and wish Dan every success in his future career. We hope he can take time out of his busy schedule to visit us and meet with our student chefs to inspire and share his unique skills."