Peripatetic Byron based chef Rhys Badcock has won the title of first ever MasterChef Australia Professional.
He has revealed it was a tense battle to the finish against fellow finalists Sarah Knights and Rhett Willis.
The series, which began screening last night, is helmed by the cravatted Matt Preston while British celebrity chef Marco Pierre White mentored the chefs throughout.
In it, Badcock goes up against a range of other well known Aussie cooks including a fellow Byronian, 43 year old former Dish head chef Luke Southwood.
For Southwood, it was an opportunity to step back in front of the stove after a massive car crash in 2010 put paid to a stellar career.
Badcock is currently cheffing on a cruise boat plying the Kimberley coast.
