Meet MasterChef Australia 2023: Secrets and Surprises’ judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo who are back to show us why they’re the boss in the kitchen.
In 2020, the trio replaced the old guard of Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan.
And this year, they’re returning once again to critique a fresh batch of MasterChef contestants, marking their fourth season on the iconic franchise.
Melissa Leong
Melissa is the undisputed queen of the show, with the judge bringing a wealth of experience to the MasterChef kitchen.
”We’re back, baby!” Melissa wrote on Instagram after the news was announced.
The iconic judge was born to Singaporean immigrants and has had a life-long passion for food.
Starting her career in digital advertising, the 41-year-old made the leap to food and travel writing after her corporate job failed to bring her fulfilment.
Aside from MasterChef, Melissa has worked on TV shows such as The Cook’s Pantry, Everyday Gourmet, and the Chef’s Line.
She is also a radio host, cookbook editor and food media consultant, among other things.
Andy Allen
After taking out the top gong in MasterChef Australia‘s fourth season, Andy returned to the franchise as a judge in 2020. He also appeared in an episode of MasterChef Australia All-Stars later that same year.
Following his win on the show, the 34-year-old pursued a hospitality career and now co-owns Three Blue Ducks, which was awarded a hat in the 2018 Good Food Guide.
The restaurant chain now has five locations throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Byron Bay.
The MasterChef Australia judge appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox Australia in 2022 alongside his bestie, Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott.
Jock Zonfrillo
Jock (whose real name is Barry, BTW) is also reprising his role as a judge for MasterChef Australia 2023.
The Scottish babe left school at just 15 to pursue a career as a chef.
Moving between kitchens in the UK and Australia, Jock was appointed to his first head chef position aged only 22.
In 2000, the Glaswegian returned Down Under and in 2013 opened Restaurant Orana and Street ADL in Adelaide.
In 2016, Jock launched The Orana Foundation, a charity that seeks to “shine a light on Australia’s Indigenous food” and “preserve and protect thousands of years of know-how and cultural heritage”.
Further, in 2018 he was named “Australia’s Hottest Chef” by The Australian and they certainly aren’t wrong about that!
Jamie Oliver
Beloved UK celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is also set to turn up the heat as a guest judge across two action-packed episodes.
His last appearance on the show was more than a decade ago.
”I’m very, very excited to be back in the MasterChef Australia kitchen, and honoured to be kicking off the season of Secrets & Surprises alongside Jock, Andy and Mel,” Jamie said in a statement.
”I want to give the contestants some little nuggets of advice, some techniques and some thoughts most importantly, that might help them to navigate some of the big moments ahead.”
MasterChef Australia 2023 will also see the return of Curtis Stone, Maggie Beer, Peter Gilmore and Rick Stein.
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