According to an interview with the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Gabriel had grown up with family members who would cook enormous amounts of food for family gatherings. He'd started cooking himself at an early age and quickly discovered a passion for it.
Later on, Gabriel was a fast food cook at Chipotle. At the time, he felt a responsibility to help his parents out through their financial troubles. It was from there that he decided to test his skills on MasterChef.
His story and passion made an enormous impact on judges Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Sanchez, and Christina Tosi. Thankfully, he had the skills to back it up. Throughout the competition, he served up food that convinced the celebrity chefs that he was a seasoned pro. He even won over the hearts of his fellow contestants. Shockingly, he didn't actually win Season 8 and was eliminated in seventh place. However, the judges felt as if his talent still deserved to be cultivated.
Upon Gabriel's elimination, Gordon Ramsey offered to pay his way through culinary school and even help support Gabriel's parents financially. Aaron Sanchez took it a step further by offering him a job as one of his professional chefs after graduating. He tearfully accepted both offers before leaving the show, with even the other contestants singing his praises.
Since then, he's had quite the wild ride.
Both Gordon and Aaron made good on their promises. He graduated from culinary school and briefly worked for Aaron at one of his restaurants. He would later win an award for Best Chef 2019 in his hometown of Oklahoma City, Okla. He now works as a successful private chef, having catered for celebrities like Sylvester Stallone while on the set for Tulsa King back in 2022. He's also written and released his own cookbook.
Gabriel even returned for Season 12 of MasterChef, which was comprised of past competitors taking a second shot at winning. He was considerably less successful during his second run, ultimately placing 12th. Luckily, that's done little to dampen his spirits as he continues cooking for various events and rubbing elbows with other celebrity chefs in his blossoming career.
