Punk rock foodie Derrick Fox spills secrets of the 'MasterChef' kitchen
By Dalia Colon
October 15, 2026 at 3:00 AM EDT
He’s a little bit foodie, and a little bit rock ‘n' roll. This week, "The Zest" catches up with a musician-turned-cooking show contestant from Florida.
He’s a little bit foodie, and a little bit rock ‘n' roll. This week, we’re catching up with musician-turned-"MasterChef" contestant Derrick Fox.
The Fort Myers native graduated from Estero High School and went on to enjoy a career as a drummer with the Naples-based rock band Later Days. After years of touring, Derrick recently put away his drumsticks in favor of his other passion: cooking. He now works as a private chef, splitting his time between Dallas, Fort Myers and Los Angeles — where he competed twice on Fox-TV's reality cooking competition show "MasterChef." In Season 6, he was a runner-up. And in Season 12, he tied for seventh place. While he didn’t bring home the trophy, he parlayed his stint on the show into a podcast called "A Bunch of Losers with Derrick Fox."
On his podcast, Derrick interviews also-rans from reality TV competitions while they all drink from mugs with a Fox emoji. At the end of each episode, he puts guests through a blind taste test — because whether he’s making music, competing on a reality show or dreaming up new creations for his dessert brand, Epic Mega Cookie Company, Derrick Fox is a foodie at heart.
In this throwback episode, Dalia chatted with Derrick, aka Derrick Peltz, about how his music career prepared him to be a chef, and what home cooks can learn from the "MasterChef" kitchen.
Transcription
The Fort Myers native graduated from Estero High School and went on to enjoy a career as a drummer with the Naples-based rock band Later Days. After years of touring, Derrick recently put away his drumsticks in favor of his other passion: cooking. He now works as a private chef, splitting his time between Dallas, Fort Myers and Los Angeles — where he competed twice on Fox-TV's reality cooking competition show "MasterChef." In Season 6, he was a runner-up. And in Season 12, he tied for seventh place. While he didn’t bring home the trophy, he parlayed his stint on the show into a podcast called "A Bunch of Losers with Derrick Fox."
On his podcast, Derrick interviews also-rans from reality TV competitions while they all drink from mugs with a Fox emoji. At the end of each episode, he puts guests through a blind taste test — because whether he’s making music, competing on a reality show or dreaming up new creations for his dessert brand, Epic Mega Cookie Company, Derrick Fox is a foodie at heart.
In this throwback episode, Dalia chatted with Derrick, aka Derrick Peltz, about how his music career prepared him to be a chef, and what home cooks can learn from the "MasterChef" kitchen.
Transcription