00:00This is the moment that Gabriel Lewis was eliminated from MasterChef,
00:03and it was one of the best things that ever happened to him.
00:06You may be going back to Oklahoma tonight,
00:09but you are not going back to be a fast food server.
00:12You've got the potential to be huge in this industry.
00:14You just need the right training.
00:15So I am personally going to send you to culinary school.
00:19Oh, that's amazing!
00:21Will you accept that offer?
00:23Hell yeah, Chef.
00:24Beautiful, right?
00:25But was it just a feel-good moment for TV?
00:27What actually happened to Gabriel Lewis?
00:30The next five years of his life was a journey of accomplishment, loss, heartbreak, and sliced alone?
00:38When Gabriel signed up to MasterChef, he was just 19 years old,
00:42working a job at Chipotle to help support his family.
00:45His mother, Lisa, was battling ovarian cancer,
00:48so it wasn't an easy time for Gabriel and his family.
00:51So when he got eliminated and Gordon offered to send him to culinary school,
00:55he jumped at the opportunity.
00:56Gabriel had never had any formal training.
00:59He'd developed his skills in the kitchen by watching his mum intently,
01:02studying her cooking style and learning as much as he could from the woman he most admired.
01:07You see him sitting around in pants, literally studying the way his mum moved,
01:12watching everything she did, asking a lot of questions, and you just saw it.
01:16Now, Gabriel was going to get the opportunity to formalise his training,
01:20with Gordon supporting his fees and his mother's cancer treatment.
01:23Gordon Ramsay was asked why he did it.
01:25If that guy can be that good without training, do you have any idea what he's going to become?
01:29What are we talking about?
01:29$40,000, $50,000 education fees?
01:32For me, I can do that.
01:34But it wasn't about the money, it was about that guy's potential.
01:37So spotting that talent in him, we all need somewhere in our life that bit of mentorship.
01:41Gabriel launched into his studies at Francis Tuttle's School of Culinary Arts,
01:46with excitement and anticipation of what lay before him.
01:49This was the opportunity of his life.
01:51But in 2018, devastation struck, when Gabriel's mother, who he loved, admired, and learned from, passed away.
01:59Towards the end of his mother's treatment, when she was in hospital,
02:02Gabriel put culinary school on hold to come back home.
02:06After she passed away, Gabriel received a message from his idol, someone now dear to his heart.
02:12Hi, Gabe, this is Gordon.
02:13First of all, I'm so sad to hear the loss of Mum.
02:17I know how much she meant to you, how much she meant to the whole MasterChef family.
02:20Young man, remember how proud you've made her,
02:23and what you stand for as an ambitious, talented, incredible chef.
02:28I'm very proud of you.
02:29Remember, Mum is always going to be very proud of you,
02:32and Oklahoma stands by you.
02:34Stay strong.
02:35Lots of love.
02:36See you soon.
02:37But there were good things on the horizon.
02:39See, Gordon's offer wasn't the only helping hand offered to Gabriel that day.
02:43Aaron Sanchez also offered Gabriel a job.
02:45You might be going back to Oklahoma to take Chef Gordon's once-in-a-lifetime offer,
02:49but after that, I want you to leave Oklahoma and come to New Orleans.
02:53All right!
02:54Because I'm prepared to offer you a job in one of my restaurants.
02:58Plans were set in place for Gabriel to move to New Orleans to work for Aaron.
03:02The only problem?
03:03The year.
03:04So Gabriel had to make a choice.
03:06Was he just going to wait it out, or was he going to use this as an opportunity?
03:11He spent the time building his personal brand.
03:13There are certain things that stump me every single day and says,
03:16hey, you can't, you can't, you can't, you can't.
03:18But I was raised to believe that I can do anything
03:20as long as I put my drive, my spirit, my soul, and my love behind it.
03:24So what's Gabriel doing now?
03:25Well, he came back to MasterChef again in 2022,
03:29and he got eliminated halfway through the season,
03:31which was upsetting, but Gabriel doesn't really mind.
03:34He's now cooking for celebrities.
03:35Most recently with Sly Stallone, and he's working on his first cooking book.
03:39Gabriel said in a recent interview that he sees the book as a homage to his mother,
03:44grandmother, and great aunt.
03:45They were all three instrumental, and they provided me with that fire, he said.
03:49So does he ever plan to take Aaron up on that offer for a job?
03:52He says that he might do it eventually, just to learn from one of the best.
03:55But for now, he's very busy, and he's living out his passion for cooking.
03:59As long as you got passion, you have drive, and you love what you do,
04:03that's all that matters.
