Who is Curtis Stone from Netflix’s Iron Chef? Contestant had his first memorable food experience at the age of 4

Michelin-starred celebrity chef Curtis Stone is also an author and television personality who will now appear on Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, competing with the Challenger Chefs on the show as the contestants strive to win the title of 'Iron Legend.'

Curtis Stone will be seen alongside four other Iron Chefs, namely Marcus Samuelsson, Dominique Crenn, Gabriela Cámara, and Ming Tsai, showcasing his culinary expertise in Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, which will air on June 15 on Netflix.

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All about Netflix’s Iron Chef Curtis Stone

Australian-born, US-based restaurateur and chef Curtis Stone was born in 1975 to an accountant father Bryan Stone and a florist mother named Lorraine. However, his parents separated when he was just 2 years old.

His passion for food began at the age of 4 thanks to his mother and grandmother. Tasting a batch of fudge prepared by his paternal grandmother, Curtis developed a strong interest in food. Speaking about the impactful food experience that decided his future, Stone mentions on his official website:

"My mum and granny taught me everything I know about food and cooking. My mum, Lozza, is a great cook, in particular a phenomenal baker, and I would watch her every move while she baked."

He further added:

"I was 4 years old, just a little tucker, when I had my first, truly memorable food experience. I tried my granny’s Yorkshire fudge and it was one of the first really sweet things that I’d tasted. I just couldn’t get enough of it. Whenever I went to granny’s place, from that first taste forward, we’d get busy in the kitchen and make fudge together. It was our thing."

From then, the “greedy little monster who couldn't get enough food,” Stone, tried his hands at cooking and started learning how to prepare food as an extension of always wanting to eat.

Stone, who claims to “love to eat,” was also highly influenced by his best friend's father, who was a chef and “sort of lived this rockstar lifestyle” with long hair and tattoos, and “didn't conform to my dad's social circle where they all wore suits.” Young Curtis simply wanted to be like him.

After attending an all-boys high school, Stone studied for a Bachelor of Business before starting his career as a chef. Following this, he completed an apprenticeship at the Savoy Hotel in Melbourne at the age of 18.

Later, he headed to London to work for Britain’s most celebrated chef, Marco Pierre White. Despite White’s “huge reputation for being crazy, working ridiculous hours,” he offered to “work for free just to learn from the absolute pinnacle of chefs!”

He started working at the Grill Room (Café Royal) and after 12 months, he was made the Chef de Partie at White’s new restaurant, Mirabelle. After 6 months, Stone was promoted to Sous Chef at the same restaurant. In the same year, the restaurant won its first Michelin star.

A year later, White appointed Stone as the Head Chef of another of his restaurants in London, Quo Vadis, where he was able to explore and incorporate more Italian influences into the restaurant's menu. Stone swiftly climbed the success ladder with his skills and became one of the most renowned chefs in the country.

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Iron Chef Curtis Stone’s other ventures

Stone started his television journey with ABC’s traveling cooking show, Surfing the Menu with Chef Ben O’Donoghue. He later appeared as host of the international TLC hit, Take Home Chef, and PBS series, Field Trip.

He has even appeared in several cooking competitions, including Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef America along with numerous talk show interviews.

He’s also the author of several cookbooks, namely Surfing the Menu: Two Chefs, One Journey: A Fresh Food Adventure and Cooking With Curtis: Easy, Everyday and Adventurous Recipes for the Home Cook, along with a few others.

He is also the owner of two restaurants, Los Angeles-based Maude, which he started on 1 February, 2014, and Gwen, which he started in Hollywood in 2016, named after his maternal grandmother. He also runs a sea-bound restaurant, Share, in partnership with Princess Cruises. Stone follows a simple rule to cook his dishes:

“My cooking philosophy is to keep it simple and cook with naturally produced ingredients just as Mother Nature intended.”

Stream on Netflix on Wednesday to catch Stone’s culinary skills in Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.