MasterChef Winner Dorian Hunter
Dorian Hunter knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in the culinary arts and as she chased her dreams throughout the years, her big break came when she was offered a spot to compete on the reality culinary TV show, “MasterChef” in 2019.
After months of competing in one of the toughest culinary competitions, she was crowned the season’s winner, making history as the first African American woman to win in the show’s history.
That moment of hearing her name on national TV was more than special. It represented all of the hard work and sacrifices made to get to where she is today. “The win has been terrific to me. My life has totally changed. I get to do what I love to do and I am in the kitchen every day.”
Thinking about how history was made, she says, “Being the first African American female to win and the only African American woman in the franchise is a lot. But it’s a crown that I wear I hope humbly and I hope that there are more to accompany me and I hope that it doesn’t take another ten years for it to happen.”
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For Dorian Hunter, All You Have to Do is Believe
A woman of great faith, she auditioned for the show in Atlanta with no expectations other than to give it all she had and to enjoy a great day off from her job. The season turned out to be the biggest one yet with over 20,000 home cooks coming out for a chance to win the title, $250,000, a Viking kitchen and training stints at the judges’ restaurants.
“I just felt like God was like, ‘This is all you. This is your moment, this is you. Everything before this was to get you right here. This is it, this is your beginning. You wanted it, you asked for it years ago. Now I am answering that prayer,'” she says thinking back to the day of the finale.
The airing the show’s finale was soon followed by COVID which shut the world down and also some opportunities that have since started to once again gain momentum for Chef Dorian as she uses her platform to continue expanding her skills and most importantly helping others following their culinary aspirations.
Be sure to listen to the full episode to hear more about her journey and then follow Dorian’s work and new chapters since competition at www.chefdorian.com and on Instagram. You can also watch the special moment when she was crowed MasterChef on YouTube.