Who Won MasterChef Season 13 In 2023 & How Much Did They Win?
The final episode of "MasterChef" Season 13 premiered on September 20th, determining at its conclusion that the winner of its large cash prize was Grant Gillon. For coming in first place, Gillon received a total of $250,000 — rivaling some of the biggest "Wheel of Fortune" winners — as well as a full kitchen furnished by the upscale Viking company in addition to a set of cookware and utensils from the OXO brand.
At the finale's start, Gillon was up against two competitors: Jennifer Maune and Kennedy Grace. Before appearing on one of the best cooking shows of all time, Maune made a name for herself as a popular blogger, sharing tips for home design and entertaining alongside a number of original recipes. Meanwhile, Grace established herself as a formidable name in the culinary world through the Denver, Colorado food scene. Finally, Gillon's restaurant industry experience came courtesy of his background as the director of sales at Kinship Brewing Co. located in Waukee, Iowa.
While judges Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich, and Aarón Sánchez ultimately determined that Gillon was Season 13's strongest contestant, he faced some tough competition in the series finale, particularly from Grace.
Grant Gillon stuck to his areas of expertise for his final three dishes
In addition to his brewery experience, Grant Gillon's culinary work is influenced by his Italian heritage. Fittingly, the final three-course meal that won him the season kicked off with a ravioli appetizer topped with a truffle-heavy sauce. For his main course he served pork loin accompanied by a side that included beer-braised vegetables. He closed with a stout cake, incorporating his love of beer into his second key dish of the finale. In fact, while Kennedy Grace seemed like she was on track to win the season's final competition, her black sesame cake dessert failed to impress the trio of judges and it was only in this round that Gillon appeared to emerge as the frontrunner.
Gillon spoke to Parade shortly after his win and praised his competition. "Jennifer and Kennedy are incredible cooks, both had tremendous menus that I thought were beautiful, and so that made the competition harder, especially after seeing the appetizers," he said. "It's still so surreal that I was able to come out on top against those two incredible, strong cooks, and it feels amazing."
He also revealed that, while he still plans to work at Kinship Brewing, he's thinking of putting his prize money toward a farm-to-table restaurant in his hometown of Waukee, Iowa. "This is where I was born and raised," he said. "It would be great to put a stamp on the community for, hopefully, years to come."