MJ Jessop

My signature dish is a burger — simple, but built with intention. It represents comfort, memory, and connection, from family meals growing up to working fast-paced restaurant flat tops. I’ve learned how much detail goes into something people think is basic, and I love refining every part of it. For me, a burger is honest food that brings people together, shaped by experience, care, and the drive to always do something familiar in a better way.

Anthony Bourdain and David Chang are major inspirations because they showed me food is culture, memory, and connection, not just cooking. Bourdain especially pushed me to look deeper into the reality of the industry and the importance of mental health and humanity within it. My family and life experiences shaped this too — from celebrations to everyday meals. Food, for me, is about truth, people, and creating something meaningful from shared experience.

I would use the $25,000 to grow my voice in the culinary industry by building my food business and stepping into more events, pop-ups, and food spaces where I can share my work with purpose and presence. My focus is turning real experience into impact — advocating for mental health, safer kitchens, and a more human industry. It would also create the opportunity to travel, learn from global food cultures, and bring those perspectives back into work that helps shape the future of the industr