The careers of British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 winner Alex Webb have played out with a striking, almost eerie, similarity.
They each started pot-washing in their local restaurants in Dunmow, Essex, as teenagers, and attended Westminster Kingsway College before honing their skills in some of London’s top eateries.
Webb knows he is not quite at Oliver’s elite level yet, but being closer motivates him, as does the thought of achieving similar success as his boyhood hero in the culinary world.
He started out washing pots at the now-closed Square One restaurant in Dunmow at just 14 years old before taking a year out to go cooking in Australia, where he worked at Windy Point, one of Adelaide’s best-known vantage points with a vista like no other.
After a year away, he returned to the UK to study at Westminster Kingsway College in London, and graduated as its Apprentice Chef of the Year.
One day a week at London’s Savoy on the Strand followed, then he went on to train at two-Michelin-star Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Roux at Parliament Square and Frog by Adam Handling in Hoxton.
That was until his journey went full-circle.
A flat move during the COVID-19 pandemic found him back in Essex and back at Square One restaurant, where he was offered the opportunity to become Head Chef.
Since then, Webb’s career has continued on an upward trajectory.
Having applied for MasterChef: The Professionals in November 2019, he became only the 14th professional chef to win the much-coveted BBC title in 2020.
Five years later, and Webb is set to open the doors of his new French-British-inspired restaurant in Wimbledon Village this autumn - an exciting next chapter in what has already been a meteoric journey to life at the top.
Orion by Alex Webb is due to open in autumn 2025, and is Webb’s first standalone restaurant since his pop-up at the InterContinental London Park Lane in 2022.
Orion is to offer a fish lead and sharing-style concept, with Webb’s signature dishes, such as lobster toast and his MasterChef-winning passion fruit parfait with golden party popper, set to feature on the menu.
Before then, he took time out of his busy schedule to look back on a career that has been powered by perseverance, as well as his support for his beloved West Ham United…
Alex, where did it all begin for you as a chef, then?
“I think it was probably from when I was 14, when I started washing pots in Essex, and then started helping with desserts and things like that.
“My Mum and Dad used to cook at home, and I did one day a week at the Savoy on the Strand in London with Westminster Kingsway College.
“I started doing restaurants around London, such as Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Roux at Parliament Square and Frog by Adam Handling in Hoxton.
“I think it was just the kind of buzz you get from being in the kitchen. I actually got a day’s trial in the restaurant to be a chef as a birthday present once from Mum and Dad, so maybe I was meant to be a chef!”
And you gained a lot of experience in Michelin-starred kitchens? Tell us about that?
“I went to Australia when I was 16, and I actually got a job on my first day out there as an apprentice in a restaurant in Adelaide called Windy Point.
“I was there for a year working, which I loved, but then I missed West Ham, of course, and missed being with friends and family, and that’s when I came back to work at the Savoy on the Strand, where I worked as part of an apprenticeship with Westminster Kingsway College.
“I started off cooking there for the staff canteen, and you’re cooking for a thousand people.
“I remember calling my Dad up, and I was like, ‘I don’t think I can do this, it’s horrific’, but that’s where my career kind of kicked off.
“I went to Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, which has three Michelin stars. That was the first time I worked in a Michelin-star restaurant, and I learnt a lot there during my two years.
“Then I went to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, which was a different kettle of fish. I was cooking to a high standard, but for a lot of people, and it was a bit too much for me, then I was a sous-chef at Roux at Parliament Square and a junior sous-chef at Frog by Adam Handling in Hoxton.”
But your full-circle moment arrived during the COVID-19 pandemic, didn’t it?
“I don’t know why, but I went back home to Essex just before the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was offered to be Head Chef at Square One in Dunmow, where I was the pot washer all those years ago.
“It was a full-circle moment, and I thought it was too good an opportunity to turn down. It was the same owner, and we kind of kept in contact over the years. We had lots of memories there as a family and had my Nan and Granddad’s wedding anniversary there.
“It’s one of the best decisions that I’ve made, and that’s when MasterChef happened.”
As you mentioned, MasterChef soon followed. Tell us about that and how your life has changed since winning it in 2020?
“I think I’d always wanted to do it, and I remember my Nan and Granddad were like, ‘When are you going to apply for MasterChef?’. I didn’t think I was ready for it.
“I actually remember going on to apply, and the application from the year before was still there, so I must have tried it the year before and not done it for some reason.
“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since I won the competition. Even in the final, I never thought I was going to win. I thought it was going to be Bart [van der Lee], but I keep in contact with the final four [contestants], and we’re good friends.
“I always thought it would be amazing to win something like that, and it gets you recognised, which is really key and important.
“It really propelled my career to the next level. It’s completely changed my life, and I now cook at private dinner parties and once cooked for Baroness Karren Brady.
“She was very lovely, and once we got chatting I told her about my Dad, who was a big West Ham fan and passed away, so she did a lovely tribute for him on the screen, which was brilliant.
“Jamie Oliver, who is also from Essex, was a big inspiration for me, and he also did a lovely message for me after MasterChef.”
So, what have you been up to since winning MasterChef five years ago?
“I had my residency at InterContinental London Park Lane and opened up my first restaurant. It was an outside terrace, and it was number one, Park Lane, and then we opened up a restaurant inside for a year and a half.
“I’ve got a residency in the Maldives, so I cook there once a year and helped launch Disney Star. I do a lot of private dinner parties, so feel free to contact me!”
Tell us about Orion by Alex Webb, which is set to open in autumn 2025?
“I am so excited to be opening my new restaurant. It’s been my dream since I was a boy!
“It’s a British and French-inspired restaurant with a focus on seafood. We are going to have a raw bar with oysters and king crabs on ice, a chef’s table and a private dining room!
“Make sure to follow my Instagrams, @chefwebb1 and @orion.byalexwebb, to keep updated on when to book.”
You’re a big Hammer, too?
“My family were Season Ticket Holders before I was born. I’ve never been a mascot, but I was a flag-bearer for one game, and I’m currently a Season Ticket Holder in the Bobby Moore Lower.
“I’ve always been a massive West Ham fan, and when I was in Australia, I remember watching the Play-Off final against Blackpool at Wembley at 3am.
“Jarrod Bowen is definitely my favourite player, and in terms of memories, I think the last game at Upton Park is one of the most memorable, as I wasn’t fortunate enough to get a ticket for the UEFA Europa Conference League final.”
Follow Alex Webb on Instagram @chefwebb1
