As the curtain closes on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win following Laura Sharrad’s emotional victory, the series’ judges are reflecting on the last 16 weeks of delicious dishes and challenges that pushed some of Australia’s best cooks to the limit.
“I can’t believe it’s already the end of the season… it’s gone so quickly,” Jean-Christophe Novelli shared with Woman’s Day. “Being a part of MasterChef Australia: Back To Win has been an absolute joy.”
The French chef and restauranteur, who first joined the show’s judging panel alongside Poh Ling Yeow, Andy Allen and Sofia Levin in 2024, said the level of talent on display this season has been extraordinary, and believes all the contestants are culinary stars.
“One of my personal highlights was seeing how each of them poured their personal stories and culture into their dishes,” he said. “It was about more than just technique, it was about heart and that shone through.”
“As someone who is known for bringing French flair, passion and creativity to the kitchen, it was wonderful to see so many of them bringing their unique attributes to the fore, to create some mind-blowing and truly original dishes.”
TELEPATHIC TWINS
For Sofia Levin, judging Back To Win was a totally different beast.
“From day one we were served restaurant-quality dishes, so a lot of the time our job has been to separate the great from the good,” she told Woman’s Day. “A highlight was witnessing established cooks reinvent themselves.”
“Even though some contestants have restaurants, their cooking styles absolutely evolved.”
Like Jean-Christophe, Sofia also loved the challenges where the contestants had to transport the judges to different places through dishes and ingredients.
“There’s this magical sense of wanderlust and excitement that comes with sharing unfamiliar flavours, and you can taste that aliveness in the dishes,” she said.
“I also adored working alongside Poh once again. We have giggled, dissected our decisions and confided in each other more than ever this season. Sometimes it feels like we are telepathic!”
THIRD TIME’S A CHARM
After coming second twice on MasterChef Australia, Laura Sharrad has proved third time’s a charm and has been crowned the winner of Season 17.
“I’m thrilled and completely overwhelmed with joy and pride to finally win the title of MasterChef Australia. It’s a very surreal feeling,” she told Woman’s Day.
During the neck-and-neck two-round battle between Laura, 30, and her fellow South Australian chef, Callum Hann, 35, both cooks received 30 out of 40 in the first round, where they were required to create a series of classic flavour pairings.
In the second round pressure test, Laura edged past Callum with a near-identical recreation of Miko Aspiras’ bouquet of petit fours called Botanical Garden, which cemented her victory.
“It was so special to have my husband Max and my parents there for the verdict, and my daughter Florence there for the cook,” Laura revealed. “Our families are with us through the whole journey so to be able to have them in the room and share such a big moment together was extra special.”
Looking back on the competition, Laura says a highlight for her was getting out of the MasterChef kitchen to cook in Doha.
“I feel like I really got to tick off the quintessential MasterChef experiences this season, so that was fun,” said Laura.
“Plus, being able to do it all with such an amazing bunch of people. We had so much fun, especially in the final few weeks with Ben, Jamie, Callum and Depinder.”
With the $250,000 grand prize and the MasterChef trophy secured, Laura will be channelling her energy into some exciting new projects in the future.
“I want to focus my time on writing a book and finding the right publisher to help me share my message and my love of food and handing down recipes to future generations,” Laura shared.
“That’s probably my biggest project for the moment.”
Previously, Laura came very close to taking the MasterChef crown by placing second in seasons six and 12.
FULL CIRCLE MOMENT
Like Laura, Callum has previously come very close to winning the competition as the runner up of Season 2 in 2010, and fourth in season 12 that aired in 2020.
He also says facing Laura in a showdown was a full-circle moment for them both, and an homage to the talented cooks MasterChef has helped develop over the years.
“There was a bit of stress there, a bit of sadness that it’d likely be the last time I’d be boking in the MasterChef kitchen, but also a sense of pride and belonging in knowing that I deserved to be there, plus a bit of confidence,” Callum told Woman’s Day.
“It was probably the most amount of emotions I’ve felt at any one time. I was competely exhausted the next day; not just from cooking, but the emotional rollercoaster.”
With his wife Crystal and their kids, Elle, five, Henry, two and two-month-old Fleur cheering him on from home in Adelaide, Callum has enjoyed every minute of this year’s competition.
“From a challenge perspective, a highlight was day one of the competition when Gordon Ramsey was in the house and everyone was trying to find their feet,” Callum said.
“Starting the competition as a team captain and taking the win was a really memorable moment. While MasterChef is an individual competition, in normal restaurant life you’re only as good as the team around you. Everyone from the kitchen to front of house need to work together, and I love the team aspect of the job.”
As for Callum’s favourite dish from this season, he shares it’s his wasabi leaf pasta dish with Jerusalem artichokes and mushrooms he made at Melbourne’s Vue de monde restaurant.
“To come up with a dish that the judges loved so much on the fly, in such a beautiful restaurant and at such an important time in the competition – scoring first place in the Top 5 was very special,” Callum said.
Now MasterChef is done for another year, Callum reveals he’ll be returning to Adelaide to run his two restaurants and cooking school, although he hasn’t entirely ruled out another stint on the show.
“I said no the last time someone asked me that questions a few years ago and look at where we are now,” Callum laughed.
“I hope that the judges call me back sometime to maybe set a challenge or be a guest judge or something like that but I think one of the greatest things about MasterChef is getting to know new contestants, watching their stories flourish and evolve and seeing what they get up to after the competition.”
“I think I’ve had a really wonderful run with MasterChef, but I think it’s time for some other contestants to give it a go.”
