Ted Pappas

Ted Pappas is a 50-year-old semi-retired architect from Chicago, Illinois who is competing as a contestant on MasterChef Season 16: Global Gauntlet on Team Europe representing Greece. With his architectural background, Ted approaches cooking with both discipline and creativity, drawing inspiration from his Greek heritage to craft bold, flavorful dishes.

Ted also brings his hometown roots to the Global Gauntlet - and in Chicago, hometown roots run deep. Forged in the City of Big Shoulders and seasoned by years of legendary Chicago Bears tailgates, Ted knows how to feed a crowd in the frozen parking lots of Soldier Field with the lake wind howling, and somehow always makes it feel like a celebration. That's not just cooking. That's Chicago.