MasterChef star sends fans into a frenzy as he shares a rare throwback photo

He was one of the most recognisable faces on MasterChef. 

But last year, the 53-year-old chef and restaurateur left the show along with his two co-judges and is set to star on Channel Seven’s Plate of Origin later this year. 

He currently owns The Boathouse restaurant in Melbourne – but would you recognise him from the photo taken as a young chef, posted to Instagram on Monday? 

In the black-and-white photo, he wore a white chef’s jacket and had a full head of slicked back dark hair.  

The handsome young chef in the photo is none other than former MasterChef judge Gary Mehigan.  

‘How’s this for a throwback! Thanks @templesofbbq (Lance Rosen) for digging this out of the archives. What do you reckon 1994?’ Gary captioned the post. 

‘We were working hard back then, brings back a few memories and stories. That would make me 26 years old.’ 

Gary’s BBQ chef friend Lance Rosen commented on the post, confirming that it was taken in 1994. 

‘I’m think ’94. You were a hard a**. We cooked some good sh*t with a great crew,’ Lance wrote, reminiscing on old memories. 

The former MasterChef judge was 26 turning 27 in 1994 and had only moved to Melbourne from London three years prior. 

Gary, who is English and Australian, studied at the five-star hotel The Connaught and fine-dining restaurant Le Souffle in London before moving Down Under in 1991. 

Fans of the chef flooded the comment section, amazed by the throwback photo.

‘Gary, can we talk about that sleek hair? Lol,’ one person wrote. 

‘OMG Gary. Like fine wine, improved with age,’ another fan commented. 

The throwback photo also drew a range of comparisons to celebrities like Tom Hanks, The Killers’ Brandon Flowers and David Brent from The Office. 

Gary hosted MasterChef Australia along with George Calombaris and Matt Preston from 2009 to 2019. 

But last year, the original judging trio left the show while George was caught up in a high-profile wage underpayment scandal at his restaurants. 

Gary is expected to return to TV along with Matt and My Kitchen Rules’ Manu Fieldel on Channel Seven’s new cooking show Plate of Origin later this year.