Graham Elliot

Graham Elliot was a Chicago-based celebrity chef who was best known to TV audiences as a judge on the popular cooking competition shows "MasterChef" (Fox, 2010- ) and "MasterChef Junior" (Fox, 2013- ). Born and raised into a military family in Seattle, Washington, Elliot's love of food was apparent at a very young age. He knew he wanted to be a professional chef but lacked the necessary cooking skills his dream demanded. After dropping out of high school a the age of 17, Elliot enrolled in the culinary program at Johnson & Wales University, where he was able to hone his skills in the kitchen. After college Elliot cooked at some of the highest profile restaurants in the country, before settling into the diverse food culture of Chicago. It was there that Elliot cooked under the famed chef Charlie Trotter, at his iconic restaurant TRU. Elliot eventually earned a name for himself in the highfalutin world of Chicago dining, and in 2008 opened his own restaurant, known simply as Graham Elliot. The restaurant was an immediate success and before long celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay began to take notice. In 2010 he hired Elliot to appear as a judge on his new show "MasterChef," which proved to be a breakout hit for the network. The success of the show raised Elliot's profile outside of the close-knit world of restaurants, and in addition to serving as a judge on "MasterChef Junior" (2013- ), he also hosted his very own reality series "The Craziest Restaurants in America" (Food Network, 2015- ). The show debuted on the Food Network in 2015, and chronicled some of the stranger eateries throughout the country.