Dhruv Baker has been crowned the winner of Masterchef 2010.
The 34-year-old south Londoner, who won praise from judges for having the "palate of an angel", said after his win he could not wait to get back in the kitchen.
The former board director of a media firm quit his job while filming the show and now plans to open his own restaurant.
Baker recalled how as a young university graduate he became fired up by Gordon Ramsay while watching him on TV. He said: "I did not know many famous chefs ... he was so passionate about it and so talented and he was one of the celebrity chefs I first noticed. I bought all his books. He's gone from that to being a global superstar."
Asked if he would like to follow in Ramsay's footsteps and become a TV chef, Baker said: "My goal is to open a restaurant and for it to be well regarded. If anything more were to come, I would welcome that and relish it.
"Successful TV chefs have been well respected before making that move. I need that foundation to be a credible chef."
Baker saw off competition from Tim Kinnaird and Alex Rushmer as he battled through the gruelling final stages and described his competitors as "amazing".
Challenges included travelling to the Rajasthan desert in India in sweltering heat and cooking for a Maharajah and his family in a palace atop the hills of Jodhpur.
Wannabes also had to run their own restaurant for the evening for paying customers with their own food on the menu - and with judge John Torode manning the pass.
They also had to undertake what was billed as the BBC1 show's "greatest ever challenge" - cooking for revered chef Alain Ducasse and five of his proteges, who hold an incredible 30 Michelin stars between them.
