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When Kevin Fuller stood in front of Gordon Ramsay on MasterChef, he didn’t have a rehearsed speech or a perfect sound bite ready. But when Ramsay asked why he was there, Kevin spoke from the heart.
“In the first chapter of my life, (I was) saving people’s lives. And in this next chapter, I want to feed their souls,” Kevin said.
Gordon Ramsay, known for his fiery comebacks and blunt honesty, was rendered speechless.
But for Kevin, a graduate of Escoffier’s online culinary arts program, that moment wasn’t about impressing anyone. It was about everything that came before it: nearly three decades as a firefighter and EMT, years of firehouse meals, and a passion for cooking that never let go, even after a devastating accident that nearly ended his culinary dreams before they had a chance to grow.
That moment on MasterChef may have been the first time a national audience met Kevin, but his relationship with cooking started long before the cameras rolled. It began in a setting far less glamorous, and far more demanding, than a television studio.
The Spark: Discovering Joy in the Firehouse Kitchen
Kevin’s culinary journey didn’t begin in culinary school—it started in the firehouse kitchen. Long before he ever donned a chef coat, he was pulling 24- to 48-hour shifts as a firefighter and EMT.
“When you get into fire and EMS, somebody’s got to learn how to cook at a firehouse,” Kevin said. “We can’t just eat out all the time. Somebody’s got to learn how to do this cooking game and make sure it’s on point, or everybody’s gonna throw it away or we’re gonna eat a bunch of snacks or fast food.”
Kevin, second from right, with fellow Morehead City Fire-EMS leaders, where he has served for nearly three decades.
Cooking on shift meant working around long hours, unpredictable schedules, and limited ingredients. Meals had to be practical, filling, and fast to recover if interrupted.
“Sometimes you’re in the middle of cooking something on the stove, on the grill outside, and all of a sudden the tones drop and you’re like, ‘Well, turn that off. That meat’s gone to waste and we’re gonna have to try something else,'” Kevin said. “But there’s a lot of times we get to actually cook and we learn the timeframe of when it needs to be cooked.”
Firehouse life: Kevin during a high-angle rescue training.
What started as basic necessity soon lit a spark within Kevin the moment he saw his crew’s reactions to his cooking.
“I fed these guys one time, and I watched them come to the table and eat this food. And the smiles that got on their faces was just incredible. Like, wow, I did that. I made them eat something that actually put a smile on their face, not just put food in their mouth and give them substance,” he said.
Before joining the fire service, Kevin had served in the U.S. Armed Forces, yet another role that required discipline and adaptability. But the firehouse became his crash course in timing, flexibility, and staying cool under pressure. Those skills would later serve him well in pitmaster competitions, culinary school, and cooking on national TV.
Getting Fired Up: How a Firefighter Became a Pitmaster
Long before he ever stepped into a culinary classroom, Kevin was already deep into the world of smoke, rubs, and slow-cooked magic. When he wasn’t pulling shifts at the firehouse, he was perfecting his craft as a pitmaster, not just as a weekend hobbyist, but as someone fully committed. He entered barbecue competitions around the region and learned by doing, one brisket at a time.
This journey to pitmaster status wasn’t guided by a mentor or family tradition. Kevin forged his own path purely out of a genuine interest.
“I didn’t really have that male figure in my life to do that stuff,” he said. “The barbecue thing and the cooking thing was, it was really me. I watched my uncles do pig smokers and stuff when I was little, but it didn’t really drive me the way this did.”
That self-taught spirit became the backbone of his cooking journey. Kevin enrolled in multiple pitmaster courses, soaking up everything he could about temperature control, wood types, seasoning, meat selection, and knife skills.
One dish, in particular, even became a firehouse favorite: Mississippi pot roast.
“You take this chuck roast, season it really well, put your favorite rubs on it, smoke it for four hours, then put it in a metal pan with some au jus, banana peppers, onion soup mix, beef bouillon, and ranch seasonings,” he said. “Wrap it in aluminum foil, put it back on the smoker for another four hours, and you can just shred it with spoons.”
Kevin showing off barbeque techniques, bringing culinary precision to every cut.
Next Chapter, New Tools: Why Kevin Chose Culinary School
As Kevin approached his 30th year in fire and EMS, he found himself pondering one of life’s big questions: what comes next?
“I got to a point in my career where your career is coming to an end,” he said. “I was like, ‘Okay, well, what is the next chapter of my life? What am I going to do? I still think I got another 30 years to go.'”
With quite a few competitions and lots of firehouse cooking under his belt, that next chapter started taking shape when Kevin decided to invest in a food truck, or more specifically, a food trailer. But he knew right away this couldn’t be a half-hearted effort.
“If I’m going to make this work, I can’t go in half-cocked on it,” he said of his approach. “I have to make sure I know what I’m doing. In fire and EMS, you have to take multiple classes to reach certain levels, and (obtain) certain certifications to be able to provide certain levels of service. Why not the same thing in culinary?”
Even though he knew he needed the education, Kevin was skeptical about attending culinary school online. But that was his only option, given that he was still working at the firehouse. It wasn’t until a friend of a family member mentioned their son was a student at Escoffier that Kevin took a closer look. Even then, he was cautious. He researched, asked questions, and spoke both with the family friend and the school’s admissions team.
Still, what really kept the idea top of mind was how often he saw it online. Culinary school social media posts kept showing up on his feeds, enough that it started to feel like more than coincidence.
“[Escoffier] kept popping up and something told me—a lot of people don’t believe in premonitions—but to me, I think it’s fate,” he said. “It put it in front of me several times. That’s a sign.”
Eventually, he enrolled, not just because he wanted to be in the kitchen, but because he wanted to do it right.
“I didn’t want to be just a cook, I wanted to be a great cook,” he said. “And I knew with Escoffier behind me and learning these classes and these basic skills and more skills, it was going to put me right over the top.”
Shifts, Searing, and Study Time: Making Culinary School Fit
Balancing culinary school with a full-time career in fire and EMS wasn’t easy. Kevin was often coming off 24- or 48-hour shifts, running on fumes, and jumping into assignments that were due the next day.
“I wanted to take a nap so bad I couldn’t stand it,” he said, “but I had to get in this class. I wanted to make sure that I did (culinary school) right.”
The online format proved ideal for Kevin’s circumstances.
“If it wasn’t for the online classes, I probably wouldn’t have ever got my certificate,” he said. “With the schedules that we have, family, balancing work and school and everything else—it made it obtainable. It really made it obtainable.”
Kevin in his Escoffier uniform, balancing coursework with 48-hour firehouse shifts.
Even so, some lessons even caught him off guard.
“Cooking eggs in 12 different ways is not as easy as what people think it is,” Kevin said with a laugh. “That was a really memorable moment for me.”
And his favorite class? World cuisine. He said it stretched him in all the right ways.
“Some of the dishes in there were trying to get the timing down on certain things. The paella…oh my God, that was so crazy!” he said.
But the moment that stands out most was the first time he plated a dish the way a professional chef would.
“The first time I actually plated a culinary-worthy dish—not just throwing your meat on this side, throwing your other side on this side—but actually layering it and plating it to where it looked like something off a restaurant plate… I was like, ‘Wow, I did that. I actually did that.'” he said.
Looking back on his education, Kevin feels his life experience gave him an edge. Years of working under pressure and managing high-stress situations helped him stay focused and committed.
“Having that life experience, I think helped me along the way,” he said. “I’m not saying anybody couldn’t do it right out of high school—absolutely, if they have the drive and the will and want to do it, anybody can do anything they want to do. But to me, it actually helped me by having life experience.”
A Setback, a Comeback, and a Whole Lot of Grit
With his Escoffier education complete and his food trailer ready to roll, Kevin was finally putting his culinary plans into motion. His dreams were just starting to take off—then everything changed.
While volunteering at a charity barbecue competition to raise money for cancer patients, a cooking accident brought all his plans to a sudden stop.
“I was running three of these big, huge whole hog smokers. I walk away and I come back and the temperature has gone down,” Kevin said. “When I went to open it, evidently somebody walked by and thought they saw the same thing and didn’t check it and just turned the gas all the way open. When I opened it, what happens when air gets introduced? The lid blows completely off, blows me at least 10 feet back, completely burns my entire left arm, my left hand, and the whole left side of my face and my neck.”
He spent a month at UNC Chapel Hill’s burn center, underwent three surgeries, and faced a long road to recovery. And the financial strain hit just as hard.
“I almost lost my truck; I did lose the [food] trailer,” he said. “I couldn’t make the payments. I had medical bills coming in. I was like, ‘Did I just waste all my time doing all this stuff and going to culinary school and paying the money for that?'”
But even in the middle of all that pain and uncertainty, Kevin didn’t give up.
“While I’m sitting here in my slumber and thinking everything is over, I start reminding myself of who I am,” he said, “and that I’m very resilient and I don’t give up very easily and I always go after what I really want.”
From his recovery bed, Kevin made a decision that would change his life: he applied for MasterChef. That decision wasn’t just about cooking. It was about proving to himself that nothing is out of reach if you keep going.
“The only thing that’s ever holding you back is yourself,” Kevin said. “If you really want something, you can go get it. It may take some effort and a lot of time, but you can do it.”
A few weeks later, a phone call came.
Proving It on the Plate: Bringing Escoffier to MasterChef
When Kevin got the call from MasterChef, he didn’t believe it was real. In fact, he hung up on the producers—twice.
“I thought it was a prank,” he said. “I was like, you have no idea what I’ve been through. Don’t mess with me right now.”
But the producer called back and gently set the record straight.
“She said, ‘No, I do know what you’ve been through. That’s why we called you. Your video submission was amazing, and we want to talk to you more,’” Kevin said.
A few weeks later, he was on a plane, heading to compete. For the first time in MasterChef history, contestants would compete in teams. Kevin brought along his longtime friend Trey, a fellow food enthusiast with whom he’d shared years of cooking events and kitchen camaraderie.
Kevin felt that his time at Escoffier gave him a solid foundation heading into the competition. Knife skills, in particular, became one of the most valuable tools he brought with him.
“People don’t think that (knife skills are) really important,” he said. “And I guarantee you when these students start these classes (at Escoffier), they’re going to think, ‘I already know how to cut stuff.’ No, you have no idea.”
The skills Kevin picked up at Escoffier came in handy when the pressure was on.
“The way you hold the knife, every cut you make makes a difference,” he said. “Whether it’s julienne or whether it’s diced or a small dice, that comes into play with whatever dish you’re trying to cook.”
Competing on MasterChef—Kevin (second from the left, back row) brought knife skills and firehouse grit.
Even sauce-making, which might seem basic to those not in the cooking world, became a make-or-break skill in timed rounds.
“When you want to cut your carrots and your celery and all this stuff up, everybody thinks you just chunk it . . . It’s actually easier, especially in 30 minutes, if you small dice everything, put it in your pan and sauté it to get it soft, then blend it up. I would have never known any of that without culinary school,” he said.
The duo didn’t make it all the way to the end, but they held their own and had a good time along the way.
Back at the firehouse, Kevin’s return came with new expectations. His crew had been watching.
“They definitely hold me to a higher standard now,” Kevin said with a laugh. “They’re like, ‘You were on MasterChef, so we expect nothing but perfection.’ And I’m like, ‘Look, if you want caviar, you better head somewhere else.’”
Looking Forward: Giving Back and Inspiring Others
Many people might have seen an experience like MasterChef as the pinnacle. But for Kevin, it was just one more step forward. These days, he’s still pulling shifts as a firefighter and EMT, but he’s also building a new food truck business and continuing to share his culinary journey with others.
His food truck, The Red Line Table, is a nod to his fire service roots, but the menu reflects how far he’s come in the kitchen. While barbecue is still a focus, Kevin now leans into an elevated, globally influenced approach. From smoked meats to dishes like duck, lamb, or even beef Wellington, he’s expanding the idea of what firehouse-born cooking can look like.
Kevin at a barbecue event, repping The Red Line Table and his firehouse roots.
More than anything, Kevin sees his work as a way to encourage others to go after their goals, even if the path isn’t traditional.
“I want to give back to people and let them know that their dreams are obtainable. If they really want them, they can obtain those dreams,” he said.
So what’s next for Kevin? He’s not ruling anything out. Owning a restaurant is on the list, but he’s also interested in the possibility of teaching someday.
“Who wouldn’t want to own their own restaurant as a chef? Everybody does,” he said. “I would love to have one, but if it’s not in the cards for me, it’s fine. But at least I could (stay involved), still being in the culinary world and giving back and teaching.”
Ready to Start Your Next Chapter?
Kevin didn’t follow a traditional path into the kitchen, but he found a way to make it work, on his schedule, in his own time. It’s a reminder that starting something new doesn’t always mean putting everything else on hold.
“Do it,” he said. “I know it seems hard. I know it seems like it’s unobtainable… Don’t sell yourself short. Go for it.”
And if you’re thinking about waiting for the “perfect” moment, Kevin encourages you to think again.
“Don’t let life pass you by,” he said. “Do it as early as you can. Don’t let anything hold you back. The worst thing you could ever do is be 70, 80 years old and be like, ‘I wish I’d done this. I wish I’d done that.'”
Interested in taking the next step? Learn more about Escoffier’s culinary programs or reach out to speak with an Admissions Representative. Flexible options are available to help you get started, no matter your schedule or background.
