A once homeless chef wins life changing competition

May 31, 2012

Chef Madison Cowan won a cooking competition on the Food Network series "Chopped Champions" winning $50,000 and a grand total of $60,000 overall.

If you are unfamiliar with the show, 4 contestants battle it out to make the best meals with the supplied ingredients.  Each chef gets a basket of 4 ingredients, and had to win 3 rounds in a row to be crowned champion. The first round is an appetizer course, the second an entree, and finally a dessert.

To win this competition, you have to know your stuff. The supplied ingredients are usually uncommon to the average person, and sometimes even the chef's competing on the show question an ingredient.

Madison Cowan's victory left every judge on the show in tears, as well as the viewers at home. He wanted to win the competition for his daughter, and the producers were able to surprise Madison by bringing her out after his victory.

Before his daughter arrived, the judges asked Madison what his daughter would say to him after his big win.

Madison replied, "She would probably ask me if I won, and I would correct her with did you try your best?" A great message on it's own.

Madison's life has not been an easy journey. His career in cooking took him all over the US and in different parts of the world. At one point he was homeless and found chef Patrick Clarke in New York who gave him a place to sleep during a long cold winter. This is where Madison claims he learned a majority of his cooking skills.

"Sooner or later, good things have to find you no matter what your circumstances are." stated Cowan.

Now that he has won $60,000 and has world wide recognition as a premier chef, the possiblities are endless. He deserved the win not only for his cooking ability, but for his humble and optimistic attitude. He has an inspiring outlook on life.

When asked about his future endeavours, "Whatever I do, it has to be something right, it has to speak to people, it has to touch people, it has to inspire people along the same lines as 'Chopped' did."

Watch the short clip of his Chopped emotional win below!