It’s been three years since beloved chef, MasterChef star, author and restaurateur Jock Zonfrillo passed away. On the anniversary of his death, those closest to the acclaimed chef are sharing heartfelt tributes in his honour.
For Andy Allen, who hosted MasterChef alongside Jock, the loss is still deeply felt — with countless moments where he wishes his best mate were still by his side.
Marking the anniversary, Andy shared a photo of the pair on set during a photoshoot.
“Wishing you were here now more than ever,” he captioned the image.
Speaking to TV WEEK, Andy reflected on how difficult it has been entering parenthood without Jock by his side.
“The closer it gets, the more that I do wish he was around to see me being a father because I did take so much from him, seeing him be such a beautiful father and husband throughout the time that we knew each other,” he explained in the weeks before his wife, Alex, gave birth to their son Jude.
“There is a level of sadness there, I’m not going to lie. That would be my one wish, to see Jock with our little new born child.”
Now that his son Jude has been born, Andy is determined to carry Jock’s example into his own parenting.
“Seeing [Jock] go about it [MasterChef[ with his kids, because it is such a gruelling schedule, he still found time to switch off and just be a dad,” Andy reflects.
“That was his most important role in life. And then, seeing him be a really good husband to Loz — there are a couple of life lessons I learned from that.”
While Andy marks the anniversary publicly, it isn’t just milestone dates that make him think of his late friend — Jock is on his mind every day.
“I think about Jock on a daily basis when I’m in that kitchen. As time goes on, you never forget, but I feel like now I’m in a state of being able to celebrate and enjoy the good times,” Andy shares.
“You know when your memories pop up on your phone? I had a chuckle to myself when a photo of Jock and myself in the green room, snacking on pizza for lunch popped up and he’s there eating three pizzas to himself.
“It’s just things like that, in the years gone past, that would still be a really difficult feeling but now I feel like i’m creeping out of that. It’s more of a celebration of life and the memories that we shared together.”
Andy isn’t the only person reflecting on his memories with Jock.
On Friday morning, Jock’s wife Lauren shared a photo of the two of them looking out to sea.
“Three years,” she wrote.
“Still no closer to accepting you’re not here with us.”
Jock Zonfrillo passed away on May 1st, 2023.
He was just 46 years of age and is survived by his wife Lauren, and their children Ava, Sophia, Alfie and Isla.
