A Killearn MasterChef contestant was this week celebrating after being named as the new head chef of a Fintry pub which is reopening after being closed for the last two years.
Lisa Addison appeared on the most recent series of the smash hit BBC cookery programme.
Now she is set to pull on her chef whites to run the kitchen at the Fintry Inn which has re-opened under new management.
Leigh and Chris Haslam, of Mosaik Brewing, run the Fintry Inn.
Lisa, a mum-of-three, wowed the MasterChef judges with a number of her tasty dishes, but she was eventually eliminated from the competition. However, she didn’t let that dampen her spirit and will continue her culinary adventure with her new role.
Lisa said: “Leigh and Chris have taken on the lease and they set me a challenge of food with a difference – Middle Eastern.
“I’ve developed a menu with a wow factor and we open the restaurant side of things next Saturday.”
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Lisa has already received a booking from MasterChef food critic Tom Parker Bowles, and Masterchef judge Gregg Wallace has also thrown his support behind her new venture.
“This is massive off the back of MasterChef and the public response has been as crazy as when MasterChef was announced,” Lisa added.
“I got an email from Leigh two weeks ago asking me if I’d be interested in doing a pop-up as they had heard I was opening lisa@home in Balfron. However, I told Leigh that the premise was going to be too small and so I was re-thinking my plans. She asked for a meeting and we talked about food and what she wanted to bring to the area, and they offered me position of head chef.
“It’s a massive opportunity and this is the biggest thing to happen since MasterChef.
“Chris and Leigh wanted different food, wanted a menu that people talked about. So I took a week and came up with the menu and it’s had a phenomenal response. We are so excited to get Fintry on the map for food.
“Tom Parker Bowles is coming and Gregg Wallace has been promoting the pub and my new job on Instagram which is amazing.
“MasterChef changed my life, and now Leigh and Chris have given me the second biggest challenge of my life and I can’t wait.”
