I am a Foodie, I can not deny that! I DO LOVE to eat and I love to cook a little, so that definitely counts, lol. So hear me when I say, that I was super excited to get the opportunity to speak with 3 of the TOP 18 Contestants from the hit food competition show, MasterChef Season 9 on FOX. And by the way be sure to catch a new episode on tonight!
Today I’m sharing my chat with THE Humble Chef Gerron from Team Joe Bastianich. I had a few minutes to chat with Gerron over the phone with a full house listening in, being joined with several members of the show’s production team.
Now I call him humble because during our chat, many of his responses included his gratefulness of having this grande opportunity in the running to becoming the next MasterChef, as well as helping others like his students. And we know that great things happen when we choose to think of others as we do ourselves.
Sooo let’s get into it and hear from Gerron!
GERRON HURT
Describe yourself in 5 words.
Hard working. Passionate. Fun. Caring. And Adventurous.
What’s your why? What Inspires you?
His Students. As a teacher, Gerron teaches 12th grade and English as a 2nd language. He says that his students inspire him because of their stories. He grew up in a rough neighborhood and environment and was able to overcome to become a teacher. Now he’s able to coach, mentor and mold students with similar backgrounds. And it pushes him to become better.
What food could you never go without?
Salmon. It’s his favorite thing! He says that he eats it about 3 times per week.
What’s your signature dish?
His Nashville Hot Chicken. Being from Louisville Kentucky, he moved to Nashville 2 years ago and had his first taste of the hot chicken. He knew then that he had to “RE-LIVE” that taste.
So, he says he took to the kitchen, which he calls his laboratory and came up with his Nashville Hot Chicken. And that’s the dish that got him into MasterChef.
What do you plan to do if you win that $250,000?
He plans to open a Culinary Program for the High School where he teaches. It’s a Charter School and he would love to provide another outlet or avenue for the students to learn in order to have another option after high school. As college is sometimes not the viable choice for everyone.
In watching the shows, it looks like it can be so intimidating. What do you do to keep it together?
He says that he thinks about his purpose and why he’s there. He thinks about the thousands that try to make it to MasterChef, who will never be able to. And being in the top 18, it is humbling and he is appreciative.He says that he is also very religious, so praying and his relationship with God is how he keeps it together.
Where can we follow you?
Be sure to follow along Chef Gerron’s journey to becoming the next MasterChef on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!