The past few months have been some of the most amazing in my life. I have learned a lot, and it has been an amazingly rewarding experience to be a part of people’s lives. There has been an outpour of support from people all around the world through Malibu Sunshine, Facebook, Twitter, and even people stopping me on the street. I truly appreciate all of the kind words and gestures, and thanks to all of you for reaching out.

Here’s some links to articles about me in The Malibu Times. Check me out!

Leslie Gilliams: Almost a Master – October 2014

Leslie Gilliams: Malibu’s Masterchef – June 2014

I consider myself a Renaissance man. I take care of my wife, my children, and our house.  I am the newest breed of man – the man that supports the dreams of his partner. In order to understand me, it is important to explain where I have been.

Fan Art by Instagram user @thenatrussell

Like I said throughout the entirety of this season of FOX’s, “Masterchef,” I am 56 years old! I was born in Manhattan, and I have seven brothers and three sisters. My mother was a nun before she married my father, and I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. My parents were strict, and feeding 11 young, hungry mouths is no easy task. In my house, there were only two legs on a chicken, and if you weren’t there first, you didn’t get any. There was no such thing as having a second helping – if you snooze, you lose.

Due to hard times, at a young age, I spent about ten years in a Catholic orphanage with several of my siblings. There was enough food for everyone, and although the food was better than I was used to getting at home, I definitely wouldn’t call it “restaurant quality.” Actually, I didn’t even know what a restaurant was. My no-nonsense upbringing inspired me to work hard. I have never lived outside of my means. I saved every penny I ever made, and I rarely splurged.

Growing up the way that I did inspired me to learn to cook for myself – I never wanted to eat unappetizing food again. It also didn’t hurt in the dating department. That’s when I met Paula.

Paula was beautiful, and so full of life. She loved to dance, and laugh, and we hit it off right away. Paula was divorced, and in her previous marriage, she had felt stifled as a stay-at-home mother. She had five children ranging from the ages of six to sixteen. I had never been married or had a child. Where most guys would’ve run for the hills, I stayed around and helped to support the family. Our love was a whirlwind, and before we knew it, we had a daughter, got married, and then a big change.

Paula’s oldest daughter is an actress, and she had just gotten the opportunity of a lifetime. Paula was the Executive Producer, and her daughter, Melissa, was the star of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” Our lives changed drastically. Paula and I had to make a decision.

All of Paula’s dreams were about to come true. We packed the whole family up and moved from the east coast to Los Angeles. We decided that with Paula working as a producer that I would stay home with the children. It wasn’t a particularly difficult decision to make seeing as she now had the potential to make more money than I could ever dream of making as a hairstylist. So I would take the kids to school, clean the house, shop for groceries, take care of the garden, help the kids with homework, cook dinner, etc. Any stay-at-home parent will tell you that this is no easy task. It is hard work raising children, not to mention we now have seven. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love my life, and I love my wife, and I love my children.

Fast-forward 20 years: my youngest daughter was a senior in high school, and I was facing an empty nest for the first time since meeting my wife. I was watching an episode of FOX’s, “Masterchef” after cooking dinner, and Paula turned to me and said, “you could do that!” At first I shrugged it off, but the seed had already been planted. I asked myself, what’s the harm in trying out? After all, my kids’ friends always wanted to come over for my dinners, and I only ever heard compliments when I would cook for our dinner parties. So I did it. And then I got called back. And then I made top 100. And then top 30. And the rest is history.

But my journey is just beginning.