The contestants taking part in Future Food Stars with Gordon Ramsay on BBC One.
The new TV show will see twelve up-and-coming food and drink entrepreneurs to compete to earn an investment into their businesses from Gordon Ramsay.
The chef will be offering up £150,000 of his own cash to the winner – but it will take more than a good idea.
Each week, Gordon will put the contestants through a series of challenges to test their character and showcase their business skills.
Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars starts Thursday, 31 March on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Meet the contestants below!
Future Food Stars contestants
Amit Panwar
Age: 38
From: Malvern Hills, Worcestershire
Business: Pandeli – bottled Indian sauces
Instagram username: @pandelifoods
Amit is a chef and pub/restaurant owner who has developed a range of small-batch authentic Indian sauces using the family recipes.
Asher Flowers
Age: 28
From: The Rhondda Valley
Business: Rogue – jams, chutneys and marmalades
Instagram username: @enjoyrogue
PR graduate Asher saw his mum making and selling home-made jams at local markets and decided he wanted to make his own to appeal to a younger market.
Bola Adegbenro
Age: 46
From: Hertfordshire
Business: Jitterbug – apple cider vinegar seltzers
Instagram username: @jitterbug.life
Health coach and 50s enthusiast Bola was inspired after swapping fizzy drinks for a tonic she made with apple cider vinegar blended with fruit juices and sparkling water.
Jamie Savage
Age: 36
From: Macclesfield
Business: Savages Mussels – mussel bar
Instagram username: @savagesmussels
Jamie is an ex-Navy head chef who decide to take his cooking skills and open his own business showcasing his favourite ingredients: mussels.
Jen Wright
Age: 35
From: Castleford
Business: The Cocktail Pickers Club – bottled cocktails
Instagram username: @cocktailpickers
Cocktail lover Jen decided to start her own bottled cocktail business after realising it could prove very expensive trying to make your own cocktails at home.
Leah Harkness
Age: 38
From: London
Business: Norah’s Brownies – free-from brownies
Instagram username: @norahsbrownies
Leah wanted to create cakes for people with allergies or dietary requirements. Cupcakes and cookies had already been done, but she saw a gap in the market at that time for homemade, dairy-free, gluten-free brownies.
Matthew Watts
Age: 33
From: London
Business: Jackdaw – zero-waste restaurant
Matthew lives and breathes hospitality and feels now is the time to go it alone and open his first place with a zero-waste ethos and a social enterprise ambition.
Michelle Maddox
Age: 45
From: Abernethy (Perthshire)
Business: Clootie McToot – clootie dumplings
Instagram username: @clootiemctoot
After helping her son to run a stall at the school fair, Michelle was persuaded to go into business and sell her clootie dumplings.
Stephanie Buttery
Age: 30
From: Manchester
Business: Chu Lo – Japanese-inspired soft drinks
Instagram username: @chulo_drinks
Steph is a former Navy Lieutenant who has retired after 12 years as a Warfare Officer to pursue her business dream. She was inspired by a sour alcoholic drink she loved when stationed in Japan and decided to create her own soft version to market to gamers and the premium drinks market.
Valentina Fois
Age: 37
From: London
Business: Lele’s – vegan cake mixes & café
Instagram username: @leles_london
Famed for her vegan cakes, Valentina researched the vegan cake mix market and realised there was huge opportunity. She developed three mixes: vanilla cupcakes, banana bread and brownies.
Victoria Omobuwajo
Age: 28
From: London
Business: Sunmo – plantain based snacks
Instagram username: @sunmohq
As part of her business degree, Victoria launched a range of healthy snacks inspired by her mum’s plantain crisps. She has now expanded the range into other naturally vegan snacks.
Vincenzo Gentile
Age: 27
From: London
Business: Smokin’ Brothers – smoked salmon company
Instagram username: @smokin_brothers
After a job working for a smoked salmon producer, Vincenzo saw their smoked salmon process and thought he could improve it, so wrote a business plan and pitched himself as a superior supplier and launched his business in 2019.
Future Food Star airs on BBC One.
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