It was the year 2013 when the ultimately successful RTVE program slipped in the homes of millions of Spaniards that, at that time, they had no idea who Jordi Cruz, Pepe Rodríguez and Samantha Vallejo-Nágera were.
From that first edition it is easy to remember contestants such as Fabián León, who today is still linked to the world of cooking, or Maribel Gil, a native of Benicarló and the world’s greatest defender of the artichoke. And, of course, another of the faces that the followers of the talent will remember without a doubt is the one of John Manuel Sanchezwho was the winner of that MasterChef 1 and about which not much is known today.
Do you want to know what happened to this man from Almeria who at that time worked as a waiter and that you decided to sign up for the casting cheered on by your brother Félix? Well, we’ll tell you next!
Juanma, his life before MasterChef
To meet Juan Manuel Sánchez Reche we have to travel to Albox, his hometown. He is the youngest of three brothers, completing the triad Pedro, who is an architect and lives in Brazil, and Félix, who was the one in charge of convincing the little boy Sánchez (and the rest of the family) that taking part in the television contest could be an excellent idea. And what if it was…
The young Juan Manuel was a friendly and restless boy, but what most caught the attention of his personality was humanity and humility that came from all the pores of his skin. Features that it has kept intact over the years and that would be accentuated as a result of the death of his fatherin 2009, who left without knowing what fate had in store for that young man who did not plan to study for a university degree, unlike his other two brothers.
We complete his family tree by making a brief review of his mother, Juani Reche Gea, who could not be more proud of what this self-taught chef has achieved who, according to his mother, “has managed to steal the hearts of the residents of Almanzora, Almería and all of Spain”. She is from Cantoria but her destiny wanted to take her to Albox, where she would work as a teacher and she would form this wonderful family that we have just introduced you to.
Juan Manuel Sánchez, what came after
We had to wait until he was 25 years old to be able to discover this young man who would quickly conquer all MasterChef followers, thanks to his good hand in the kitchen, a job for which always felt a special interest, and for his way of being. And although she already pointed out ways when in her childhood, according to her mother, she prepared food for her and the rest of her siblings, she would need the push that being the winner of this contest gives you to be able to see her dream come true.
He saw an ad on TV looking for people passionate about cooking and, with the approval of his brother Félix, he decided to sign up. At that time he worked as a waiter but he always had in mind to be able to set up your own restaurant one day. In fact, he had planned to study cooking when he finished high school, but this dream was cut short with the death of his father. At that time it was time to pitch in and get to work to bring money home.
The green recipes of MasterChef (F. COLLECTION)
Once inside the first edition of MasterChef, Juan Manuel would show every week that he had not gone there to hang out. From the beginning he made it clear that he was going to take it very seriously, something that the jury confirmed when seeing its evolution constant and when verifying that his traditional cuisine was gradually being polished until it became a delicate modern kitchen.
With this background, it was easy for the man from Almería to end up being one of the candidates chosen for a final duel in which he had to face his partner Eva. For the occasion, Juan Manuel devised a menu with which managed to surprise both the jury and Ferrán Adriá, who, like this year, was the star guest of that first installment. Specifically, the chef made a carpaccio of scallops as a starter and cod pil pil with vegetable ratatouille as a main course. For dessert, he opted for a strawberry tartare with rose petals. And that’s how he became the first winner in the history of MasterChef Spain.
From here, which is what many do not know, Juan Manuel’s life would take a 180 degree turn After receiving the €100,000 prize, he studied at the prestigious Cordon Bleu school and started working in one of the restaurants of the Bilbao Berria group. For a few years, she was making the most of every opportunity that came her way after going through the talent and, in addition, he periodically gave advice to the new applicants of the subsequent editions.
Subsequently, he became the star signing of the Hotel El Real de Agua Amarga in Níjar (Almería), work that he made compatible with some collaborations in gastronomic events of the stature of Madrid Fusion or Fiturwhere I used to perform showcookings. Until he finally managed to fulfill his long-awaited dream: to open his own restaurant.
Sánchez opened his own restaurant in his native Albox in the middle of the pandemic
The winner of the contest currently runs the Topares Tavern in his native Alboxalthough it is currently closed. It should be noted that the restaurant opened it in the midst of a pandemic, in one of the most critical moments for the hospitality sector, but that does not prevent him from leaving his soul in his business and receiving very good reviews from diners who have come to meet him. Its specialties, as expected being located in this area, have been the typical fish and shellfish of the area.
But the thing does not stop there, the one who defines himself as a “patissier”, also took his passion for sweets for a walk in the workshop that opened in his town, although this project was temporarily shelved precisely so that he could focus on his restaurant.
Images Juan Manuel Sanchez | Instagram and RTVE
In DAP | María Lo is proclaimed the winner of MasterChef 10 after beating Verónica in the final duel
In DAP | The unknown link between cooking and mods: Franc Roddam, creator of Masterchef, was the director of Quadrophenia