When it was announced that ex-MasterChef judges Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan had joined forces with My Kitchen Rules‘ Manu Feildel, reality show fans thought all their dreams had come true at once.
Yep, the merging of Australia’s biggest cooking show names is what culinary dreams are made of.
Pitched as the “World Cup” of cooking, teams representing their homes countries will face off in the ultimate battle to decide which nation’s cuisine is truly the best.
“There’s always something to learn about food and when we learn about other cuisines, that is so exciting,” says Manu.
“And, it lets me travel the world without moving from my seat.”
Matt adds: “A good curry will transport you to the streets of India and the perfect pasta will take you to that little restaurant in the back streets of Milan.”
So who makes up the teams that will be battling it out once Plate Of Origin kicks off on Channel Seven on Sunday, August 30, 7pm?
Scroll on to meet them!
Italy
TEAM ITALY: TERESA & MICHELLE
Teresa, 60, raised daughter Michelle, 35, on a farm where they grew and cooked everything from scratch, and the mother-daughter team are one competitive duo! Teresa is also mum to NRL stars Anthony and Mark Minichiello.
Venezuela
TEAM VENUZUELA: KIKI & ALY
Friends Kiki, 37, and Aly ,38, caught the cooking bug after moving to Australia and getting homesick when they discovered the lack of Venezulan restaurants. They realised if they wanted to eat the food they loved, they’d have to cook it themselves!
“It is time Australians experience a new set of big Latin flavours!” Kiki declares.
Vietnam
TEAM VIETNAM: THANH & DUNCAN
Thanh, 32, and Duncan, 29, are friends who are hoping to give Australians the real taste of Vietnam.
“There is so much more to Vietnamese cuisine than Pho and spring rolls,” says Thanh.
Lebanon
TEAM LEBANON: JAMAL & RACHIDA
Mother and daughter Jamal, 48, and Rachida, 30, are extremely close, but also have a tendency to clash.
“Our philosophy is to never let anyone leave hungry,” they say of their team’s motto.
India
TEAM INDIA: ASH & SIMRAN
It was love at first sight for IT specialist Ash, 41, who met his wife actor and model Simran, 39, while they were both visiting their families in India.
Greece
TEAM GREECE: DEZI & PENNY
Dezi, 41, and Penny, 33, are cousins and Greek food has always had the upmost importance in their family.
“Greek food is plentiful, tasty and from the heart. We want to cook like we are cooking for our family,” says Dezi.
France
TEAM FRANCE: AUSTINE & LEO
Entrepreneurs Austine, 28, and Leo, 32, are hoping to do France justice as they aim to serve up cuisine that is “tasty, elaborate and from our heart”
China
TEAM CHINA: MANDY & CHRYS
Team China’s Mandy,28 and Chrys, 30, having both been cooking since they were teenagers and became friends after meeting at a dinner party.
“We want showcase how diverse authentic Chinese food can be, compared to takeaway Chinese foods,” Chrys says.
Australia
TEAM AUSTRALIA: ETHAN & STEW
Mates Ethan and Stew (both 28) struck up a strong friendship in Year 10 maths class and both have a strong passion for food.
“We are just two regular guys who like to cook and now we are getting to show the world what modern Australian cuisine is.” Stew says.
Cameroon
TEAM CAMEROON: KELLY & ASHLEY
Sisters Kelly, 26, and Ashley, 28, from Cameroon, learnt how to cook traditional African-style cuisine after being taught by their mother growing up before moving to Melbourne in 2005.
“Our culture is big, loud, bright and colourful, just like us,” Kelly says.
This story originally appeared on our sister site, New Idea.
