By Hal Boedeker
The Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando firefighter Manny Washington’s run on “MasterChef” is over, but he’s hardly feeling blue about being ejected from the Fox cooking contest.
Orlando is represented on the seventh season of “MasterChef.” Emanuel “Manny” Washington Jr., 29, is among the top 20 home chefs on the Fox contest, which airs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. Washington, an engineer/paramedic, has worked for the City of Orlando Fire Department for nine years, and he’s based at Station 1 – “the Big House.” He stopped by the Sentinel News Now studio to share some insights into the difference between cooking at the firehouse and on television, and how to warm up to Gordon Ramsay.
“Wow, what a journey!” Washington said Friday in an email. “Who would have ever thought making pies with Grandma Georgia Bell as a child or cooking with my father, the original firehouse chef, would lead to this. I had the honor to learn and cook from Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, Christina Tosi and Aaron Sanchez.
“I thank God for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I came in not knowing one contestant and leaving with 20 family members. I love all of them. I will take all the techniques and recipes that I learned back to Orlando. This is not the end for me, it’s only the beginning! #putsomeflamesonem”
Washington made it to the Top 15, but was out after burning chicken in the episode shown nationally this week. “MasterChef” airs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays on WOFL-Channel 35.
He has started a YouTube channel documenting his food adventures as he visits firehouses around the country.
Washington added: “I will continue to cook and share my love of food on Facebook and Instagram (@chefmannyfd). I am not leaving the Orlando Fire Department. I will continue my duty as an engineer/paramedic at Station 1 ‘The Big House.’”
Copyright 2016 The Orlando Sentinel