John Douglas Torode MBE is a renowned celebrity chef and TV host of Australian-British ethnicity.
In the 1990s, he relocated to the UK and started working at Conran Group restaurants. He made his television debut on ITV’s This Morning before beginning to host a reimagined MasterChef on BBC One in 2005.
He is a restaurateur and was once the proprietor of Smiths of Smithfield and the Luxe. Additionally, he has published several cookbooks, some of which he co-wrote with Gregg Wallace, a fellow MasterChef judge and presenter.
John Torode, a TV celebrity and celebrity chef, has years of judging experience and has put numerous novice cooks through their paces on the MasterChef pressure cooker.
He enjoys devouring fabulous cuisine before providing his opinion on the dish, just like Gregg Wallace.
He began his career as a chef at the Le Coq Au Vin restaurant in Aspendale, both in Melbourne, and completed his apprenticeship at several businesses in Beaumaris. He has many accolades and recommendations, including the 1998 James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Food Photography” for his work The Mezzo Cookbook.
Quick Facts About John Torode
| Name | John Torode |
| Full Name | John Douglas Torode |
| Age | 57 years old |
| BirthDate | 23 July 1965 |
| Birth Place | Melbourne, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Broadcaster, celebrity chef, restaurateur |
| Children | 4 |
John Torode Net Worth In 2022
John Douglas Torode now has a net worth of £7.9 million as of 2022.
His enormous riches are a result of his long and successful career as a chef, author, and TV personality. Over the years, John has written and sold several cookbooks. For instance, a Hardcover edition of his cookbook ranges from $8.39 to $182.98.
Smiths of Smithfield, a restaurant owned by John Torode, debuted in Smithfield, London, in 2001. The following year, he built “Cafeteria,” a new eatery close to London’s Notting Hill Gate. Torode decided to shut the restaurant to make space for more excellent initiatives.
The Luxe, John’s third restaurant, debuted at Spitalfields Market in London in 2009. Torode also sold his stakes in “The Luxe” while he did his second restaurant. While he was still head chef, the combined revenue at his second and third restaurants was £9.2 million.
Research indicates that John Torode is now just concerned with his cookbooks and TV appearances and no longer runs any restaurants.
John Torode’s Asia, his 2017–2018 culinary journey, was inspired by Torode’s most recent food excursions.
When it debuted on the Good Food channel, it received the station’s most excellent watching numbers since March 2013. The series got commissioned by Luke Hale of Good Food and Sally Quick of UKTV. It got supported in collaboration with various organizations, including the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
Torode searches for the most creative chefs in each place, learning about the unique flavors of that nation’s food. It includes dining at an underwater restaurant, finding a street food market on the Yangtze River’s banks, and creating traditional dumplings with a Beijing family. These experiences are to encourage viewers to include Asian cuisine in their kitchen.
In the Blink Films production, John Torode’s the Middle East, released in 2018, the chef got shown exploring the region in search of delectable foods.
Torode, culinary writer, and actress Lisa Faulkner, got their weekend cooking program in March 2019. John and Lisa hosted the show John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen on Sunday mornings on ITV. Through APT, one of Australia’s top travel agencies, John Torode has agreed to serve as Kimberley’s two-year ambassador.
John Torode’s Ireland, a six-part series that debuted on Food Network on July 21, 2022, follows the chef as he explores the diverse cuisine of Ireland.
John Torode MasterChef
The BBC television program MasterChef was reintroduced in 2005 with a revised format featuring Torode and Wallace in place of Gary Rhodes as hosts.
He was selected rather than AA Gill, a cuisine critic. In 2011, 25 nations purchased the show. He has stated in interviews that he appreciates that the show is unscripted, and the cameras are to record the judges’ and candidates’ actual interactions.
After that, the program gave birth to Celebrity MasterChef, a spin-off Torode and Wallace also hosted.
The Luxe is Torode’s restaurant, launched in London’s Spitalfields Market on Commercial Street in October 2009. While the culinary professional left the two restaurants and sold his stakes, the Luxe and Smiths of Smithfield had a £9.2 million turnover under his direction.
He has co-hosted Junior MasterChef, first with Nadia Sawalha, a previous Celebrity MasterChef champion, and most recently with Donal Skehan. He has been a guest on several shows, including The One Show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, The Graham Norton Show, Loose Women, and This Morning on ITV.
As a dedicated biker, Torode appeared as a guest on The Cycle Show on ITV4 on July 23, 2014.
Who Is John Torode Wife?
John Torode is married to his beautiful wife, Lisa Faulkner.
The pair changed their relationship from boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife in 2019, four years after they dated each other. Well-known for her appearances in Brookside and Holby City, Faulkner triumphed in the 2011 MasterChef competition, defeating Christine Hamilton and Dick Strawbridge.
Her butternut squash fondant with monkfish, goat cheese, onion tarts, and almond panna cotta with poached tamarillos wowed Torode. Later, she collaborated with her husband to author three cookbooks and hosted the ITV program John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen.
In 2010, John first got to know Lisa Faulkner, who was well-known for her roles in EastEnders, Brookside, and Holby City.
Lisa took part in the competition and came out on top. Faulkner was married to Eastenders star Chris Coghill when the episode got produced, and the two share an adopted daughter named Billie, who is now eight years old.
After a seven-year marriage, the couple split in April 2012, and six months later, Lisa made her connection with John known to the world. Jessica, his wife of seven years, and he divorced her in 2011. Since dating, they have regularly shared the screen on morning TV cookery shows.
On January 7, 2019, Lisa reported that John had proposed to her on Christmas Day of 2018. Lisa’s full name is Lisa Tamsin Faulkner. On February 19, 1972, she was born in Merton, London, England.
While Lisa Faulkner’s mother, Julie, passed away when she was 16, nothing is available about her father. At the age of 16, Faulkner signed her first modeling contract. A British TV presenter then made a foray into the entertainment business.
The Celebrity Chef couple resides in their stunning London house.
The residence has a lovely garden, opulent bedrooms, a living room, and a barbecue on the lawn.
The couple has been residing in this lovely and inviting house during the lockdown. They never miss an opportunity to provide viewers with behind-the-scenes looks inside their residences.
John Torode Children
John Torode is the father of four children from his former relationships.
John and Jessica Torode divorced in 2011 after being married for 14 years, starting in 2000. Lulu and Jonah are the couple’s two children. From his marriage to Angela Torode, the MasterChef judge has two more kids, Casper and Marseille.
Not many details regarding Joh Torode’s children are available on the internet. On the other hand, John’s wife, Lisa, is Billie’s mother, whom she and her ex-husband Chris Coghill adopted in 2006.
The actress had previously had numerous losses, an ectopic pregnancy, and four unsuccessful rounds of IVF therapy. The actress claimed that she and John provide anything the children desire for supper since they both like cooking. If they cannot prepare a meal that the children ask for, they will research how to do it.
Talking about John’s childhood, he was the youngest of three boys born in Melbourne, Victoria, on July 23, 1965. Between the ages of four to 10, he lived with his brother Andrew and his grandmother, who taught him to cook, in Maitland, New South Wales.
Then, he resided in Edithvale, Melbourne, with his father and brothers, even though his father regularly traveled for work. The culinary professional began training at the Le Coq Au Vin restaurant in Aspendale, both in Melbourne, and continued at several eateries in Beaumaris.
He has stated that the cuisine he ate as a youngster was very typical, and roast chicken continues to be one of his favorites because of this link to his early years, even if crumbed lamb cutlets were his favorite meal at the time.
He also mentioned that he loved the book To Kill a Mockingbird in school.
John Torode Career
John Douglas Torode is a professional celebrity chef, restaurant owner, and cookbook author from Australia.
According to sources, he had a passion for cooking when he was still a small child. Torode’s career in the food industry was well underway by the time he reached sixteen. He made his broadcast debut on the program “This Morning” on ITV.
He got awarded by the James Beard Foundation for “Best Food Photography” in 1998 for his work The Mezzo Cookbook. In 2000, the culinary expert launched Smiths of Smithfield, his previous eatery, in Smithfield, London. After a year, he found Cafeteria, a second eatery, next to Notting Hill Gate.
Together with former Celebrity MasterChef competitor Hardeep Singh Kohli, Torode has hosted a program for the UK’s Good Food channel, New British Kitchen. Other television work included an appearance on the BBC’s The Magicians when Torode and Wallace took part in a stunt involving the hanging of the duo down the edge of London’s Tate Modern by magicians Barry and Stuart.
He hosted the 2014 television program John Torode’s Australia, which has ten episodes that trace the tastes of John Torode’s youth and the people who fostered his love of cuisine as he traverses the nation to return in time.
There have been three repeats, and BBC Good Food has presented it. Most viewers registered for John Torode’s Australia on BBC Good Food in 2014. In 2015, the chef included John Torode’s Argentina as a segment of the BBC Two series A Cook Abroad, focusing on the nation’s beef production, preparation, and consumption.
Throughout his career, the Australian chef-master has collected and shared innumerable recipes. In his recent book, My Kind of Food, John offers dishes he likes to prepare for himself and his loved ones at home.
One can explore the Aussie chef on the Instagram handle under the username @johntorodecooks. John has uploaded over 1180 posts in his grip and accumulated over 185k followers on his profile.
He generally uploads pictures of him cooking in the kitchen and his life experience and activities on his Instagram.
Some FAQs
How much is John Torode?
His massive wealth of around £8M comes from his successful career as a chef and TV star since the 90s. John has also published and sold a number of cookbooks over the years.
Where Do John and Lisa Torode live?
Celebrity MasterChef star John Torode lives in London with his wife Lisa Faulkner, and the pair regularly reveal glimpses inside their beautiful home on social media.
Does John Torode own Restaurants?
The TV chef has had several restaurants over the years in London, the most famous being Smiths of Smithfield, Luxe and Cafeteria in Notting Hill.
Does John Torode have a Michelin star?
Despite having professional cooking experience, John doesn’t have a Michelin star and is better known for being a celebrity chef
Does Torode have Irish heritage?
He may be an Aussie, but Masterchef judge John Torode’s family roots lie in Ireland.