Poppy O'Toole & Kerth Gumbs
Young MasterChef UK will be fronted by judges Poppy O’Toole, who trained as a chef in a Michelin-starred kitchen and rose to fame on TikTok, and professional chef and Great British Menu finalist Kerth Gumbs. This new addition to the MasterChef universe will see an array of new and exciting challenges for the up-and-comers (all aged between 18 and 25), as well as feature well-known and world-renowned foodie guests throughout the series.
Poppy said: "We are in a position where not that many people are interested in creating food anymore; we’ve got so many things, takeaways and delivery apps, food boxes, and it’s all incredible, but we still need people to be interested in cooking at home. Being able to see people of your own age, whether you’re gen Z or millennial, enjoying food, cooking food, taking time to get into food, then it’s inspirational.”
Kerth grew up on a Caribbean island whose economy relied on tourism. "My mum was a chef and always catered for events like weddings and funerals on the island. I was always drawn to the sounds of appreciation and how everyone would thank her and say how delicious the food was. So when it came to decide whether I wanted to do auto mechanics, woodwork or food at school, I went for food. It just resonated with me – and it was also nice to be one of only a few boys in a class full of girls at that age!"
