TV WEEK spoke to contestant Sarah Tiong following her elimination from the MasterChef Australia competition.
How did you find the whole MasterChef experience?
Extraordinary. There is nothing more wonderful than being surrounded by people who love what you love and are as passionate as you are.
To be able to serve good food to great people is amazing.
Favourite moment from your time on the show?
Cooking in the Japan week elimination rather than cashing in the immunity pin – it was stressful, but it was a real defining moment for myself.
I realised that my food dream could become a reality. Most importantly, I believed in myself.
Most embarrassing moment?
Probably the first immunity cook where I met Shannon Bennett for the first time.
It was a fan girl moment that actually made the edit. I’ve never been star struck before!
What dish are you most proud of?
The Bak Kut Teh during the Japan Week Immunity challenge. That dish set the tone for myself as a cook.
There’s nothing more important to me than sharing the joy and love I’ve found through food and family with others.
What is your relationship like with the other contestants? Who were you close to?
Everyone says this, and it might be hard to believe, but we all got along. All 24 of us.
Massive respect to Season 9 contestants – we’re one big family now.
However, I am definitely closest to Eliza, Karlie and Diana. You form really special bonds through the MasterChef experience and these girls really mean the world to me.
Who was your biggest competition and why?
Diana. We have a similar heritage in terms of cuisine and very similar understanding of flavours.
We’d both have a version of a Malaysian or Chinese dish from our childhood and we’d argue like an old married couple about what the correct method was!
Did you have a favourite judge?
The 3 judges are very individual, special people to me. The one common trait they share is their generosity.
They were so kind to us, the knowledge and time they gave us was such a blessing. I must say though; I’ve always been in awe of George.
What a great chef and what a great person.
Which judge did you find most intimidating and why?
Funnily enough, Gary! He has such a wealth of experience and the way he can discern whether something is right or wrong just by looking at it is incredible.
He’s such a reputable and respected person, you never want to let him down!
Who do you want to win and why?
Diana. Watching her flourish in the MasterChef competition was like watching the stars align. She’s born to do something great with food.
What did you miss most while in the competition?
In order of importance: Family, friends and Instagram.
What’s next for you?
I am launching my own business where I can share my love of food with everybody. I’m looking into setting up a market stall with a focus on pork of course!
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I definitely would have redone the licorice challenge and tried to have a bit more clarity! I don’t know why it threw me so much! What a difficult day that was.
