Iowan wins newest season of ‘MasterChef’

By KAALTV
Grant Gillon of Altoona, Iowa is the newest MasterChef. (Credit: Instagram)

(ABC 6 News) – A man from Iowa is America’s latest “MasterChef” winner, it was revealed on Wednesday.

Grant Gillon, of Altoona, took first place in Season 13 after dishing up three delectable courses for celebrity judges Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Aarón Sánchez. 

Gillon said, when it all boils down, embarking on this culinary journey was a no-brainer.

“Gordon looks right into the camera and says, ‘Are you the next Master Chef?’ And it’s like, I gotta give it a shot at least right? I got to find out how I stacked up against everybody,” he told ABC News affiliate, WOI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa. “So, so glad to have that support from my family. And, you know, they’re the reason I’m here reason I’m doing it.”

Though according to LinkedIn, his day job is director of sales at Kinship Brewing Co., Gillon serves up much more than business deals once he’s in the kitchen. Over the course of the season, aptly named “MasterChef: United Tastes of America”, Gillon crafted gourmet dishes as he represented the Midwest. 

In the finale, Gillon faced off against 42-year-old blogger Jennifer Maune and 26-year-old festival vendor Kennedy U.

His friends, family and even former competitors attended a watch party at Spectators Sports Bar and Grill in Altoona on Wednesday, one of the many viewing events he’s hosted throughout the season.

The line was out the door less than 30 minutes after the event started, and every table was filled with people eager to see how Gillon measured up to the competition.

“I’m super proud of myself and what I did, but being able to have everybody see, really how I developed throughout the season, I think is what’s really cool,” Gillon said. “I started out knowing I was a good cook, but didn’t know how I was gonna stack up with everybody else from all these different regions.” 

Gillon will take home a $250,000 grand prize for his performance on the show.