Gordon Ramsay's Future Food Stars is back for a second series! In the show, Lord Sugar the celebrated chef offers up £150,000 of his own cash to invest into a business from one of the UK's best up-and-coming food and drink entrepreneurs.
Over the course of the eight-week contest, 12 initial hopefuls will be whittled down to one winner through a series of tough challenges designed not only to test their business skills but also their strength of character.
Scroll on to meet the contestants vying for Gordon's investment!
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Amy Dalby
From: Stockton-on-Tees
Business concept: Topped artisan blondies
Describe your business?: "I own Blondie Bakery which is a home based business producing a large range of Blondie based products for personal orders and wholesale.
"I wanted to take part in the show as the business was at a point where it was needing to grow and expand so having the opportunity to do that under the guidance of the world's most recognisable and successful chef seemed like something that couldn't be passed up."
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Andy Albalous
From: London
Business concept: CBD olive oil
Describe your business?: "Drops of Heal is a CBD food brand, infusing CBD and olive oil. We work to shape the way people take CBD daily.
"Everything we do is with mental health in mind because we believe everyone deserves to feel good. As someone who found CBD through my own struggles, I created a CBD range that tastes delicious and fits into my lifestyle and hopefully others' too!
"I wanted to take part in the show for many reasons but, as a whole, to learn from Gordon Ramsay. Gordon is at the peak of his field, so the chance to prove that I am the right person for him to invest in is an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Our goal is to become the go-to CBD food brand so who better to invest than Gordon Ramsay?"
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Craig Stocker
From: Worthing
Business concept: Chain of micropubs
Describe your business?: "I own two small craft beer independent ale houses called the Georgi Fins named after my two children. I'm one of the youngest founders in the country to open two of these types of venues. We focus on using small independent non-commercial companies to serve the best ales, ciders and wines on the market.
"I entered the show to show how amazing this market is and to showcase amazing beer by people that are unable to provide their products on a commercial stage and to get Gordon on board to dominate my market."
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Flo Rebattet
From: London / Toulouse
Business concept: Children's cookery classes
Describe your business?: "Kids En Cuisine is a cooking school specialised for children from 3 to 15 years old and based in London.
"Taking part in FFS was the opportunity to get a national exposure with an unique and niche concept. It was also a good way to show that a 'service business' without being a restaurant or a product could have the chance to get an investment from Gordon Ramsay."
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Gary Quinn
From: Belfast
Business concept: Mexican-inspired street food
Describe your business?: "My business Taquitos sells authentic Mexican food and I wanted to take part to showcase my skills as an entrepreneur."
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Hebe Ibbotson
From: Bournemouth
Business concept: Kombucha kits
Describe your business?: "The focus of my business BooChaCha is home-brew Kombucha. I sell beautiful, handpainted starter kits, which include everything you need to make the first month of daily kombucha servings, and leave customers with the knowledge and set-up to brew forever, in a simple and faff-free way.
"From my own experiences with a history of poor gut health, I am really passionate about how small changes to diet and lifestyle can have a huge impact on our total health and wellness. This has led me to start running a series of events, including brewing workshops, Kombucha mix-up parties and offering varied sessions at yoga retreats, cooking classes, and celebrations too! These events are completely tailored to each individual / event organisers preference, and are available all over the UK, and can include starter kit demo, simple, but realistic tips for improving gut-health, SCOBY show off session, mixed up Kombucha cocktails, mocktails, health shots, anything and everything!
"My main reason for taking part in the show was obviously the promotion for my business, however with the business being less than a year old when we did the filming I was worried about the level of experience I would have in comparison with the other contenders, but the truth of it is, when you apply for something like this you NEVER think you'll get through to the final 12, and then if you do, you know you just have to go for it. It's a funny thing for me, because I don't watch much television at all, but this felt like one of those opportunities that I'd be crazy to turn down, and I feel like the entertainment this will provide my friends and family gets me kudos for the rest of my life!"
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Kier Kemp
From: Kent
Business concept: Hot sauces and condiments range
Describe your business?: "I have a business that makes weird condiments for people that are obsessed with sauces and seasonings. We're not here to produce more of the same stuff that you'll find in the supermarket, we want to excite people that like to get a little adventurous with their food.
"After founding in 2019 it's been a ride... we've picked up a bunch of awards and had some lovely things said about our stuff but If I'm honest I think I'm constantly after some kind of validation. So what better way to see if I'm actually any good at all this than to throw myself into a primetime BBC One TV show with the most famous chef in the world?"
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Kris Ingham
From: West Yorkshire/London
Business concept: Health pods for coffee machines
Describe your business?: "Rejuvenation Water is a matcha and coffee brand delivered in compostable coffee pods. I wanted to take part in the show to test myself whilst getting the message out about the health benefits of matcha and our functional coffees."
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Naomi Boles
From: Aylesbury
Business concept: Community-focused bakery
Describe your business?: "My business is a social enterprise bakery that reinvests profits back into the local community. I wanted to take part in the show to experience things I never would in my normal day-to-day life and to meet people I otherwise wouldn't."
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Rachel Munro
From: Scotland
Business concept: Modern eco café
Describe your business?: "I have a day to night café in Ayr and we specialise in brunch, lunch and dinner. We do a lot of niche market products and we change the menu every week as the customers are always looking for something new and exciting.
"Apart from the financial benefit, I wanted to go on Future Food Stars to prove a point to myself that I was able to showcase all the things I am good at. I also wanted to show my daughter that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and set an example to her to follow your dreams, no matter how big or unobtainable they may seem."
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Sam Pascal
From: London
Business concept: Cajun-style seafood boils
Describe your business?: "My business is called Hot N Juicy Shrimp LDN. It is a seafood boil chain, with takeaways in Bethnal Green and Woodgreen operating out of dark kitchens. We are an innovative industry-leading brand providing the best seafood boil experience by holding residencies around London with an online store selling our addictive sauce and spice blend, which is available for nationwide steaming. Hot N Juicy Shrimp LDN is a brand that stays trending across social media.
"I wanted to take part in the show mainly because I wanted to win the investment from Gordon Ramsay but I had other reasons. I wanted to learn from Gordon, and become a better businesswoman, take skills back with me that could solidify and improve my business. I wanted to challenge myself and really put myself on the line, really test everything I have learnt in business over the years and see whether it can be applied under pressure.
"My final reason is life is too short and unpredictable, which is something I learnt after two heart operations so I'm all about experiencing new and exciting things, really living and pushing my limits!"
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Sophie Taylor
From: Essex
Business concept: Vegan nut-milk iced coffee
Describe your business?: "My business is called Sophie's Iced Coffee Blend, a range of ready-to-drink iced coffees in different flavours which are vegan and low calorie, tapping into the ever-growing vegan market and rapidly-expanding iced coffee market. I wanted to take part in the show to have the opportunity to learn from Gordon Ramsay and develop my business."
Gordon Ramsay's Future Food Stars series two begins on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm on Thursday, March 30.
Neil Wilkes
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