Chef Luke Emmess Wikipedia, Age, Wife, MasterChef Professionals, Family
Luke Emmess Biography – Luke Emmess Wiki
Luke Emmess is an English chef and a contestant on MasterChef: The Professionals 2026. He is currently head chef at The Wykeham Arms, a 2AA Rosette pub and hotel in Winchester. He has been at The Wykeham Arms since 2020. He was previously head chef at The Still & West in Old Portsmouth.
Luke studied culinary arts at South Downs College in Waterlooville, where he spent six years training from school age, specialising in larder and pastry in his final year. After graduating, he worked at Jamie’s Italian in Portsmouth, where he spent five years working through the ranks and different sections.
He went on to work at The Still & West pub in Portsmouth. Speaking about his experience at The Still & West, Luke told the BBC: “It was my first Head Chef position. I was promoted quite young and had a lot to learn very quickly — it was definitely a sink or swim situation, but looking back it really helped me develop as a chef.” He is now head chef at the award-winning hotel pub The Wykeham Arms in Winchester.
In 2016, Luke won Fuller’s Young Chef of the Year – for which he won a four-day stage in Dubai with Jason Atherton – and then went on to win Fuller’s Chef of the Year 2019. He also reached the regional finals of The Roux Scholarship 2022. In 2026, he made it to the finals of the BBC TV show MasterChef: The Professionals.
Luke Emmess Age
Luke Emmess was born in 1992 in Leigh Park, Portsmouth. He was aged 33 at the start of filming of MasterChef: The Professionals 2026.
Luke Emmess Family
MasterChef’s Luke Emmess lives in Havant, Hampshire, with his wife and their four children. Luke said none of his family had known he was going to be on the BBC’s cooking show MasterChef: The Professionals and he had kept it a secret from his kids.
His wife inspired one of his dishes on the show. “I did a dish based around ingredients that she loved,” Luke said. “Marcus Wareing said that he believes he could see it on a two, three Michelin star restaurant anywhere in Europe. You can’t really get much higher praise than that.”
Luke Emmess MasterChef: The Professionals
Luke Emmess is a contestant on MasterChef: The Professionals 2026. The early rounds of the show saw Luke move comfortably through skills tests and invention challenges, before he hit his stride in Knockout Week and beyond, where judges including Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti praised his calmness under pressure.
He is set to compete with two other talented contestants for the show’s coveted trophy and title of MasterChef: The Professionals champion on Thursday, 26 March 2026. He will take on Mark O’Brien, chef patron at Willy’s Margate, and private chef Gareth Baty.
Luke Emmess’ Instagram handle is @chef_emmess.
