MasterChef Australia Junior

Following the success of the first two seasons, MasterChef Australia Junior returned in October 2020 for a third season, bringing together 14 talented young cooks aged between 9-14. This season, the competition was fiercer than ever, with new judges, exciting challenges, and a renewed emphasis on sustainability and ethical food choices.

Here's a peek into the exciting world of MasterChef Australia Junior Season 3:

New faces at the helm: The beloved judges, Gary Mehigan, Matt Moran, and George Calombaris, were replaced by a dynamic trio: Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong, and Andy Allen. Each judge brought a unique perspective and expertise, pushing the young cooks to explore diverse flavours and culinary techniques.

Signature challenges and immunity gongs: The season kicked off with a bang as contestants presented their signature dishes to earn the coveted "Immunity Gongs". Throughout the competition, these gongs saved contestants from elimination, adding an extra layer of suspense to each episode.

Global Flavours and Sustainability: This season went beyond traditional Australian cuisine, embracing international influences and highlighting the importance of sustainable practices. From cooking with native Australian ingredients to learning about ethical farming, the young chefs gained valuable knowledge about responsible food choices.

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JUDGES 

Jock Zonfrillo

Born in Glasgow to an Italian father and Scottish mother, Jock Zonfrillo’s formative years were heavily influenced by his respective cultures. Attracted to the dynamic and competitive kitchens of London, he worked alongside Marco Pierre White at his eponymous restaurant, Marco Pierre White, before moving to Kent and working with David Cavalier at Michelin starred Chapter One.

Curious to experience new culinary cultures, Jock moved halfway around the world and spent a year at Sydney’s Restaurant 41. Following the brief sabbatical, he returned to the UK to work at Gordon Ramsay's Three Star Michelin restaurant, The Auberigine, before returning to Marco Pierre White's kitchen at Les Saveurs and then joining The Pharmacy by artist Damien Hirst. He then worked as Head Chef at the small boutique hotel The Tresanton on the spectacular Cornish coast, his last position in the UK before returning to Australia in 2000 as Head Chef of Restaurant 41.

Jock soon moved to Adelaide before opening Bistro Blackwood and Restaurant Orana. Orana was awarded Restaurant of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Magazine in 2018, named Restaurant of the Year by the Good Food Guide in 2019 and lauded with Three Hats in both the 2019 and 2020 guide.

Named Australia's Hottest Chef in 2018, Jock has hosted Nomad Chef on The Discovery Channel – leading an insight into the cultures and cuisine of some of the most remote communities on earth to learn and save a wealth of gastronomic knowledge from extinction. He hosted cooking show Restaurant Revolution in 2015, and the Chef Exchange series in 2016, which explored food cultures and customs alongside Shandong Chef Qu Jianmin. He appeared in the MasterChef Australia kitchen as a guest chef across three seasons.

A father of four, Jock is also proud of his not-for-profit The Orana Foundation which he founded in 2016. The Foundation’s mission is to shine a light on Australia’s Indigenous food, bringing our incredible native ingredients to the world, while celebrating Indigenous culture and supporting Indigenous communities. Jock has received global recognition, awarded the prestigious Basque Culinary World Prize in July 2018.

Melissa Leong

Few in Australia can boast the culinary credentials of Melissa Leong. An accomplished food and travel writer, food media consultant, radio broadcaster, television presenter, MC and cookbook editor, this first-generation Singaporean Australian isn't afraid to eat anything at least once.

Born and raised in Sydney to Singaporean Chinese parents, Melissa attended Sydney University, graduating with a degree in Economics and Social Sciences. A shoulder injury thwarted her dreams of becoming a concert pianist, but her love of food had other plans. It is of course, in her Singaporean DNA. It doesn’t matter if she is getting lost in the back streets of Ho Chi Minh in search of the perfect banh mi, or living on an abattoir in rural Tasmania for two years to better understand agriculture and primary industry first hand, there is nowhere and nothing Melissa won’t be or do in the name of a great food experience or an important life lesson.

A background in digital advertising working with big name brands gave Melissa her start in the food industry as a freelance food critic for publications including Time Out Sydney, before she moved into PR, Marketing and Digital Media consulting.

Cast as co-host and judge on the hit series The Chefs’ Line, the show’s two seasons continue to broadcast worldwide. A season regular on Justine Schofield’s Everyday Gourmet and on Matt Sinclair’s The Cook’s Pantry on Network 10, Melissa can also be found hosting events at food festivals around the country, including Margaret River Gourmet Escape and Noosa Food & Wine Festival.

As a freelance food writer, Melissa specialises in cookbooks, recipe editing, and chef wrangling. She co-edited and produced bestseller The Great Australian Cookbook, had a hand in bringing to life books for chef Colin Fassnidge and co-wrote Dan Hong’s cult favourite, Mr Hong. Melissa has recently been given her own column in the newly revamped Escape, Australia’s most read travel publication. She also writes for delicious Magazine, The Guardian and News.com.au, and in 2009 co-founded the young gun hospitality group TOYS Collective, with members including Adriano Zumbo and Darren Robertson.  

Melissa's life philosophy is the same as that in food - be voracious!

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Andy Allen

MasterChef Australia alumni and season four winner Andy Allen is the epitome of what television’s greatest cooking show is all about.

Before entering the competition as a MasterChef Australia contestant in 2012, Andy was an electrician, but would relish taking time after work to cook for whoever was home and hungry. On most weekends you could find him hosting a BBQ or lunch for mates, and it was a dare from one of those friends to apply for MasterChef Australia, which made him take the plunge.

Throughout his time on the show he read, researched, watched, listened and saw every moment as an opportunity to learn and hone his skills. After eight months in lockdown on the sort of rapid culinary apprenticeship home cooks could only dream of, he was crowned winner of MasterChef Australia (the youngest winner at the time) with a thirst to continue to learn as much as he could.

It took being immersed in the MasterChef kitchen for Andy to realise how much he truly adored food, and that this was where his passion lay. After winning the coveted competition, he took stock of where he wanted to go with his new career, realising he had so much more to discover and desperate to push himself even further.

Since then, he’s continued throwing himself headfirst into a variety of challenges – authoring his first cookbook, The Next Element and at the same time started to work part time as a cook at the bustling Sydney café Three Blue Ducks. Andy was instantly hooked on the fast-paced team environment of the kitchen and the Ducks ethos, so much so that in 2016 he and Three Blue Ducks opened a new venture in Rosebery together. Andy threw everything he had at his new head chef role, going on to become a co-owner of the entire restaurant group. In 2018, the Three Blue Ducks’ Rosebery restaurant was awarded a Chefs Hat, making Andy (as its Head Chef) the first MasterChef Australia contestant to be awarded the highly sought-after honour. Andy and the Ducks have since opened a new restaurant in Brisbane and are soon to launch another in Melbourne.

Andy has also presented television shows with fellow MasterChef Australia alumni Ben Milbourne including Andy And Ben Eat Australia, and Andy And Ben Eat The World, and has filmed Farm To Fork for Network 10.

Andy's love for food revolves around knowing where his produce comes from, being as sustainable as possible and making sure each dish is bursting with flavour.