It’s weird.

“The former judges were and will always be beloved by Australia.

What on earth did we do to deserve any of this. It was an eventful departure. No one is hugging or high-fiving on the MasterChef set any more, Melissa Leong says.

Then, two days later, he and the other judges left after failing to secure a reported 40% pay bump on their seven-figure salaries. Zonfrillo is the tough one – a steely-eyed Scotsman with a love of Italian cooking and tailored vests. The contestants are wearing gloves and standing metres apart from one another, and the judges are tasting from individual plates. And I am incredibly well-versed in many of them … I am a food writer and a food critic, as well as [being] my cultural identity. This must be an immense relief to Channel Ten. Melissa Leong wearing a white jumpsuit into a room where competitive cooking is taking place is such a boss move. From a now Covid-safe set, the food writer shares what she’s learning in lockdown, Last modified on Wed 20 May 2020 12.05 BST. But if there’s anyone who could keep the contestants feeling connected, it’s Leong. “I am very proud of my family and my heritage and my history, and I’m also proud of my own achievements.” She points out that the chicken feet were also a symbol of her belief “you need to be resourceful about every single part of the animal”, and that not all the ingredients in her mystery box were particularly Asian: “Cherries, for example, were a nod to my time in Tasmania.” Leong spent two years living on an abattoir and a sheep dairy in rural Tasmania not too long ago. Melissa Leong brings expertise, empathy and energy to her role on the MasterChef judging panel. ⁣ ⁣ AlI I can say that is if you’re going through your own challenges (especially now in this crazy time in the world), be kind to yourself: sometimes you’ll find it has the capacity to transform a situation, or shift your perspective. We are honoured to have Melissa host some of our events at the inaugural The Curated Plate food festival.

These episodes are yet to air, but Leong – a food writer – is already being noticed for her inventive way with words. And took a damned reservation for the actual restaurant they were filming in. It’s part of the show’s signature; engrained in its fabric. It’s also one of the few shows that still enables large-scale appointment viewing – people can follow liveblogs and tweet about their favourite judge’s extravagant earrings in real time. Will this be a return to its glory days? ... Food and travel writer Melissa Leong happens to be one of them and she saved us a seat at the party. And didn’t even flinch when whatever lunatic on the other end of the line booked in a dinner reservation for FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON. It makes me so happy and I’m deeply uncomfortable about it. “It’s really difficult when people are eliminated and we have to say goodbye,” she says.

I remember this moment so clearly. She just walked over there and picked it up. She has a diplomatic, but sincere tone that’s been honed in many, many interviews – some of which dredged up old tweets in which she loosely criticised the show.
The network stood by him. Why after a decade-plus of supporting those three other weird units do we now get to watch this show be run by three wholly positive angels? | Adam Liaw, Melissa Leong on MasterChef, diversity and tabloids: ‘I will never, ever let this stuff shake me’, MasterChef 2020 judge Melissa Leong has battled depression, anxiety and burnout throughout her career: ‘For me, it’s about learning how to say no.’. a rogue restaurant booking in the middle of filming, gives the best pep talks when contestants spiral, lifelong battle with depression and anxiety, their favourite judge’s extravagant earrings, Sunday night elimination episodes for Guardian Australia. Leong laughs at the thought of being described as the show’s “breakout star”. Andy Allen, bless him, is probably just blokey enough to convince at least one site worker to switch his lunch order up from a jumbo sausage roll and a 440ml Mother can one of the salami, pesto, roasted pepper and provolone focaccia’s from the same bain marie, and honestly that’s worth the switch up just by itself. But it led to the first of many moments this season celebrated for its Asian representation. I think this Covid environment that we’re in there’s a lot of sadness and a lot of pressure going on in terms of the uncertainty, but what it is teaching us or forcing us to do is appreciate the small things: be grateful for a slower pace of life.”. Some contestants – and the other judges – balked at the ingredient. There’s Jock Zonfrillo, a Daddyesque Scot who, despite his apparent blind favouritism for anything pasta-related that former employee Laura cooks, gets misty eyed at the sight of a bottle of HP and kicks about a Thai restaurant challenge getting wistful about smoked haddock in a piece of newspaper from his bonnie wee home town. Melissa Leong is a food and travel writer, food media consultant, radio broadcaster, television presenter, MC and cookbook editor. New judge Melissa Leong interrupted her own MasterChef spiel last night to take an actual call coming in to the Thai Ute restaurant.

Leong has regularly spoken about her lifelong battle with depression and anxiety; she manages an autoimmune condition that, in past periods of stress, has resulted in chronic insomnia and caused her hair to fall out. Leong has been a freelance food writer for more than a decade and has worked in consulting, advertising, radio, events, cookbooks and TV – notably as a former judge on SBS’s The Chefs’ Line. The judge is speaking to Guardian Australia over the phone, during a long day of physically distanced filming. The men had helmed the show since its inception in 2009, setting much of the tone for what would become a global franchise – but they left on a wave of outrage after Calombaris admitted to underpaying $7.83m in wages at his restaurants. How strange and good is it to have three ostensibly normal people – as normal as TV judges can possibly be – swanning about a kitchen sowing horrendous doubt into the minds of hopeful cooks. As an MC, she has also hosted events large and small, from exclusive dinners with celebrity chefs like Quay’s Peter Gilmore, Alex Atala, Marco Pierre White and Rick Stein, for top tier brands such as Good Food Month. “On paper, yes, there’s a lot of pressure and a lot of expectation stepping into this role – the magnitude of the job,” she adds. My gaysian heart will not survive this season. And she didn’t do it for a bit or because a producer told her to. And yet this year we’ve got three new people in those roles, and they’re all remarkably great. Sign up with your Facebookor Linkedin account, Please select at least one of the following options to continue. In 2009, Melissa co-founded the young gun hospitality group TOYS COLLECTIVE alongside chef Morgan McGlone, which was recognised and awarded for its contribution to industry innovation by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guides. “When you go through things like burnout you learn what to do and what not to do in the future,” she says. It’s famous sister restaurant Flowerdrum may garner the accolades in this family, but there’s something to be said for soul food in the ’burbs. The new judges – the chef Jock Zonfrillo, the former contestant and chef Andy Allen, and Leong – have quickly forged their own reputations. “It’s really flattering that people have resonated with it so well,” Leong says. Melissa’s life philosophy is the same as that in food – be voracious! It’s the power of those things coming together that allows me to do my job well.”.

And Leong is articulate and compassionate – the one who takes a rogue restaurant booking in the middle of filming so a local business won’t lose customers, and gives the best pep talks when contestants spiral. Four years ago, Melissa Leong was offered an audition for a judging role on the SBS cooking show, The Chefs Line. ‘I just want to be a good person, live wholeheartedly, do the best job that I can.’. Working with the likes of Adriano Zumbo, Gelato Messina, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and more, Melissa has worked with some of the highest-profile and most respected names in the Australian food scene. #masterchefau, "She's a full-figured curvy girl, your salad, and I like curves" Melissa Leong on @masterchefau with no subtext at all, just an absolutely normal way to describe a roast carrot dish. “It’s a strange old world, 2020, isn’t it?”.

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