Myrtle Beach man cooks way to final 3 on ‘Master Chef.’ You can meet him at a watch party

A Myrtle Beach man has cooked his way to the finale of this season’s “Master Chef.”

Michael Leonard is one of three contestants on the reality TV show who will compete Wednesday at 8 p.m. to win the $250,000 prize money and trophy.

The 27-year-old landed a spot on Fox’s “MasterChef: Generations” by serving up an Italian dish to judges Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez and Joe Bastianich.

The theme for Season 14 is pitting home cooks from teams of millennials, baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y contestants. Leonard is competing for the millennials team.

Watching Leonard on the show, one would think that he has formal training, but most of his cooking talent comes from what he’s learned from his father and practicing at home.

He’s been cooking since he was 4 years old, spending time with his dad in the kitchen. Leonard’s first job was cutting onions in the back of a restaurant.

His love for cooking hasn’t waned as he’s gotten older. When Leonard comes home from work or has down time, he usually cooks. “That’s how I spend my time,” he said.

That includes going to Lowes Foods , buying a beer and then walking around buying ingredients.

“Grocery stores are my favorite place to hang out,” Leonard said.

People can meet Leonard at a “Master Chef” watch party he is hosting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Handley’s Pub & Grub, 3873 Renee Drive in Myrtle Beach.

Leonard wouldn’t reveal whether he won or not.

“You’ll just have to wait another day,” he laughed.

His mother is his inspiration

When Leonard found out he would be a contestant on “Master Chef,” he practiced cooking dishes that might be on the show.

“I spent so much money,” he said, including buying three lobsters.

Leonard’s apartment kitchen is filled with bottles of wines and oils and the drawers, and cabinets are filled with pans and gadgets needed to cook.

Leonard often cooks for his friends and his girlfriend, who he met when she also auditioned for the show last year.

His signature dish is anything pasta. He enjoys Italian cooking, which is something his mother loved.

Leonard would watch “Master Chef” with his mother and said she is his inspiration. It was the last thing they watched together before she died of cancer in 2023, he said.

Being on the show is exactly what you see on TV, Leonard said. The contestants don’t know what they are cooking until the challenge is about to begin.

But Leonard used his knowledge of basic technical skills to gather ingredients and create his dish.

“You can edit anything,” Leonard said about mastering the basics. “It’s like a puzzle.”

Leonard said it was great working with Ramsey and Sanchez, and said Bastianich is just like you see on TV — always to the point.

Leonard’s greatest moments on the show came when he won two immunity pins during the competition, something Leonard said doesn’t usually happen.

Leonard was among about 44,000 people who were contacted for a chance to be considered for an audition, he said. Of those, 80 were invited to come to Los Angeles to audition for the judges.

That number was then cut to 20 contestants.

He shows off his cooking on social media

Leonard moved to Myrtle Beach in 2011, having previously lived in Chatham, New Jersey.

When he’s not cooking, he operates his company LDI Services, a lawn sprinkler and irrigation business in Myrtle Beach.

Now that the show is finished, Leonard is planning to continue his social media videos and begin to do private catering.

If you want to find some of Michael’s dishes, check out his Instagram page @flavor.perfection .

His tips for cooks is to invest in a good, heavy pan and knife. He also suggests to look for a really difficult recipe and try to make it.

Leonard said where many people make a mistake in cooking is “thinking they need a bunch of kitchen equipment.”