Chef Emma Hanley Wiki, Age, Partner, Wife, LGBTQ, MasterChef

Emma Hanley Biography – Emma Hanley Wiki

Emma Hanley is a New Zealand chef and a contestant on MasterChef: The Professionals 2026. She is currently the Chef de Cuisine at the Commons Club, Virgin Hotels, Edinburgh – a 63-seater restaurant, showcasing local, seasonal produce.

Emma studied at the Ara Institute, formerly (CPIT) Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. She began her career at a small little 40-seater Italian restaurant, Christchurch, New Zealand. She’s travelled the world cooking in the South of France, working aboard a private – hire yacht in Western Australia, and working in Melbourne for one of Australia’s leading chefs.

Emma was inspired to become a chef by her mother and grandmother. She told the BBC: “Growing up in New Zealand, our family gathered every Sunday at my grandparents’ home, where food was at the centre of our time together. Watching my grandmother cook using whatever was available from her garden gave me an early understanding of seasonal, resourceful cooking.

Also, doing night-time cooking classes with my mother after school. Those experiences left a lasting impression and played a significate role in my desire to become a chef.”

Emma Hanley Age

Chef Emma Hanley was born in 1985 in Christchurch, New Zealand. She was 40 years of age at the start of filming of MasterChef: The Professionals series 18.

Emma Hanley Wife

MasterChef contestant Emma Hanley lives with her wife, Hannah Baker, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Emma Hanley MasterChef: The Professionals

Chef de Cuisine Emma Hanley is a contestant on the 18th series of MasterChef: The Professionals on BBC One and iPlayer. The other Episode 1 chefs seeking to be crowned the next MasterChef: The Professionals champion are Ismail Hossain, Mario Pérez Reyes and Terrence “Terry” Davies.

Emma decided to take part in MasterChef: The Professionals to get out of the comfort zone. She said: “It was the year of just ‘say yes’ and putting myself out of my comfort zone. You learn the most and gain a lot from being in the uncomfortable.”

Emma Hanley Instagram

Emma Hanley is on Instagram @knifenforks.