Michel Roux Jr is one of the UK’s best loved and highly regarded chefs, instantly recognisable as a presenter and judge of hit TV cooking shows including BBC Two’s Food & Drink, MasterChef: The Professionals, Saturday Kitchen and Great British Food Revival.

Roux is the Chef Patron of the Michelin starred restaurant Le Gavroche, and has written over half a dozen cookery books, including the well-received Le Gavroche Cookbook; The Marathon Chef; and the award-winning Matching Food and Wine.

Born in Pembury, Kent, he began his first apprenticeship at the age of 16 at Maître Patissiere in Paris. In the following years he worked at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant near Lyons as Commis de Cuisine and spent his military service cooking at the Elysée Palace. After stints at restaurants around the world including the Gavvers Restaurant in London and the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong, he returned to join the family business at Le Gavroche, the restaurant where his Uncle Michel Roux and father Albert Roux became the first Brits to secure three Michelin stars. Roux took over the restaurant in 1991, introducing his own style of cooking with a modern twist on classic French cuisine.

Roux made his television debut on his friend Gordon Ramsay’s show Hell’s Kitchen before rising to prominence as a judge on Masterchef: The Professionals in 2008. Further television appearances have included a stint co-presenting classic BBC show Food and Drink, filling in as presenter on Saturday Kitchen after James Martin left and Channel 4’s Kitchen Impossible with Michel Roux Jr.

Away from his restaurant and busy media career, Roux has run the London marathon twelve times for children’s charity VICTA (Visually Impaired Children Taking Action).