FORMER Launceston chef Ash Mair, 34, has been crowned the 2011 winner of UK television's Masterchef, the Professional competition.
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Mair's mother Julia Hewitt said that she had a call from him yesterday to say that he had won the final.
``He was very excited,'' she said.
``I'm very proud, I think it's fantastic, he thoroughly deserved it _ he has worked so hard.''
The finals of the celebrity television show on Thursday night were the culmination of a season in which three million viewers regularly tuned in to the culinary competition.
Mair was crowned winner over Steve Barringer, 25 and Claire Hutchings, 22, in a year that judges Greg Wallace and Michael Roux said had showcased the exceptional cooking of young chefs.
Wallace and Roux described Mair as a supreme talent who pushed himself to the limit.
``Ash has got the gift, the gift of culinary genius. His food is outstanding,'' said Roux.
His finals-winning three-course menu included a starter of roasted monfish tail with lentils and basque piperade, a roast rump of lamb with braised lamb neck potato croquette and a dessert of Spanish bread and butter pudding with vanilla parfait.
Mair never planned to be a chef but fell in love with cooking while attending a food and beverage course as a time filler at secondary college.
He enrolled in the cookery course at Launceston's Drysdale College and was hooked.
His first job was at the cafe-restaurant Cucina Simpatica where he spent most of the summer washing dishes.
He was allowed to do a bit more cooking when he went to work at Ripples which is now Stillwater.
Mair has worked in the UK as a chef since he was 19 travelling between Tasmania and London for several years so that he could spend summer in Australia.
He has cooked in France, Scotland, Greece and Spain as well as the UK and Australia and clients have included Sir Phillip Green and the British royal family.
The Masterchef finalists had to cook for more than 30 Michelin star chefs and prepare a three-course meal for the judges during the show.
Mair told Entertainment United Kingdom soon after the finals that he was in shock when he was announced the winner.
``I'm still not sure if it has actually sunk in but I'm just so happy that all the work paid off,'' he said.
He has been a freelance chef and food writer for nearly three years after working as senior chef for the national award-winning catering company The-Recipe for several years.
The company nominated him as an entrant in this year's show, Ms Hewitt said.
