Who is Anthony O’Shaughnessy? MasterChef 2018 contestant who shocked the judges with his chicken parmo
ANTHONY O’Shaughnessy is a contestant on MasterChef 2018 - and he documents his gorgeous culinary creations on his popular Instagram account.
But, who is exactly Anthony, and what do we know about the budding chef who made Chicken Parmo for the judges? Here's the lowdown.
Who is Anthony O’Shaughnessy?
Anthony, 26, is a 999 call handler who lives in Newcastle.
He is a keen traveller and a self-taught cook who has also previously applied to appear on the Great British Bake Off.
According to Anthony's profiles online, he graduated from Bangor University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with Neuropsychology.
He says he originally wanted to go to medical school and study medicine as a graduate, but is now more interested in pursuing creative endeavours.
What did he serve up on MasterChef?
Anthony served up Teesside’s classic chicken parmo when he appeared on the show - and viewers were thrilled.
Describing the dish to the judges, Anthony said: "A parmo is a deep fried breaded chicken cutlet.
Anthony added: "Many people in the North-East and on Teesside and will be thinking 'Oh God, he's made a chicken parmo on Masterchef, it's bit risky. Making it glamorous, that's going to be a bit of a challenge, but really it's all about the flavour and that's what I want to get across."
How does MasterChef work?
The format of MasterChef sees amateur cooks competing through a variety of heats, knockouts and quarter finals until the ultimate winner is crowned.
“Competitors face a gruelling series of culinary challenges as they first have to get through their heat and quarter final.
"From inventing dishes on the spot, to cooking their own menu for the nation’s fiercest food critics, the pressure is on from the very outset.
"Only a handful survive to take part in the semi-final and final challenges.”
Gregg Wallace and John Torode judge the dishes being served - with all the action, tantrums, successes and burning disasters caught on camera.
The winner walks away with a trophy and the prestige of being THE master chef of the series.