Curtis Stone is an internationally known chef, award-winning restaurateur, TV host, and New York Times bestselling author. Born in Melbourne, Curtis first found his passion for food while watching his grandmother, Maude, make her legendary fudge. After completing culinary school, he took a job at the Savoy Hotel in Melbourne before heading to London, where he honed his skills under legendary three-star Michelin genius, Marco Pierre White. While living in London, Curtis appeared in several UK cooking shows before catching the eye of television producers in Australia and the US. Curtis hosts and appears on numerous primetime television shows, including his most recent project as mentor on Food Network s hit show All-Star Academy. Coming full circle, Curtis opened his first solo restaurant Maude (named after his grandmother) in Beverly Hills in February 2014, which has received rave reviews from the James Beard Foundation (Best New Restaurant semifinalist), TIME, Travel + Leisure (lists Maude as one of the best new restaurants in the world), Eater LA (2014 s Restaurant of the Year), LA Weekly (2014's Best New Restaurant), LA Magazine (4 out o