Ross Burden

Ross Kelvin Burden (16 December 1968 – 17 July 2014) was a celebrity chef from New Zealand. His early career was as a model and he became a chef later in life inspired by the time spent cooking with his grandmother.

Career
Burden's television career began after reaching the final of the BBC series MasterChef 1993. He was also a regular on Ready Steady Cook for at least eight years, filmed a healthy-eating video with Joan Collins, and made at least five series for Taste.

Burden published at least two books and wrote columns for two magazines. In May 2006, he appeared on The X Factor: Battle of the Stars along with fellow chefs Jean-Christophe Novelli, Aldo Zilli and Paul Rankin. In 2010, Burden judged the first season of MasterChef New Zealand with Simon Gault and Ray McVinnie.

Personal life
Burden was born in Napier, New Zealand and brought up in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. He was a self-taught cook. Burden hosted and was a guest on programmes across the world. He was once voted one of the UK's most eligible bachelors. He was gay.