Media personality, writer, businessman and former greengrocer Gregg Wallace is best-known as one of the presenters of the hit BBC cookery programme MasterChef. A self-confessed workaholic, Gregg is renowned for throwing himself into every project he gets involved with, including his recent starring turn on Strictly Come Dancing.
Gregg’s career began in the building trade before he became a warehouseman at New Covent Garden Market. During this time, he first discovered his passion for food and resolved to start his own fruit and veg business. Gregg displayed his business acumen when he set up George Allan’s, which set itself apart from its Covent Garden rivals by offering flexible deliveries that restaurant chefs wanted but couldn’t get. Instead of one early-morning daily delivery, vans would go out twice, sometimes three times a day to the same restaurant if the kitchen needed the service. Gregg turned the £15,000 that he had borrowed from friends into a business with an annual turnover of £7.5 million.
Spotting the trend for local and seasonal produce, Gregg’s next venture was selling produce from Secretts Farm and garden in Milford, Surrey, operating under the name Secretts Direct. The business expanded, using lots of farms in the Home Counties and distributing high-quality produce to London restaurants in a fleet of vans. Gregg supplied ingredients for many of the nation’s leading chefs, including Michel Roux, Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.
Based on his business success, Gregg’s first taste of a media career came when he was invited to co-present Veg Talk on BBC Radio 4 with Charlie Hicks. Showing a flair for broadcasting, he followed this up by becoming the original host of Saturday Kitchen in 2002 which has since gone on to become a hugely successful cookery programme.
The BBC took notice of Gregg’s presenting skills and when the popular cookery series MasterChef was revamped in 2005, he was chosen to co-host alongside professional chef, John Torode. Though MasterChef’s original series was a success, the show had lost its way after the departure of host Loyd Grossman OBE and had been off the air for four years before the BBC decided to revive the format. The pairing of Wallace and Torode proved to be instantly popular and the nation couldn’t get enough of the programme that puts amateur chefs through their paces in a series of high-intensity cookery challenges. As Gregg often says… “cooking doesn’t get tougher than this!”
In 2009 the programme moved from BBC Two back to its original BBC One home. The spin-offs came thick and fast including Celebrity MasterChef, MasterChef: The Professionals, Junior MasterChef and even a MasterChef Live event that runs annually in London. The amateur cookery programme captured the imagination of a nation and encouraged countless people to take up cookery.
Unlike many reality TV programmes where the hosts change every series, the original partnership of Wallace and Torode has lasted for nearly a decade which is testament to their popularity and presenting skills. Gregg’s success in MasterChef has brought him numerous other TV opportunities including
Eat Well for Less, Turn Back Time, Harvest, Supermarket Secrets and Who Do You Think You Are? A firm favourite on the nation’s favourite chat and entertainment shows, Gregg has also appeared on programmes including Alan Carr’s Chatty Man and The Graham Norton Show.
After the success of MasterChef, Gregg has gone on to release three successful cookbooks: Veg: The Greengrocer’s Cookbook, A Cook’s Year and Gregg’s Favourite Puddings, as well as an autobiography, Life on a Plate.
Gregg’s latest foray into reality TV saw him star on BBC’s ever-popular celebrity dancing programme, Strictly Come Dancing. Throwing himself into training with his usual enthusiasm and gusto, Gregg was unfortunate to be voted off first even though he did not finish in the bottom two in terms of judge’s points.
As Gregg’s status in the cooking world continues to grow, his reputation as a culinary expert goes from strength to strength. At food festivals and roadshows, Gregg’s warm style of presentation and demonstration make him a hit with audiences.
One of the nation’s favourite celebrity foodies, Gregg is always in demand for cooking demonstrations on television, at food shows and at exhibitions around the nation. Gregg’s extensive television experience has led him to be an ideal choice as a personality to host or present with professionalism and charm.