MasterChef Austraia contestant Aaron Kher spent much of his life doing exactly what was expected of him – until he finally chose something for himself.
“Stepping away from the family business was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” the 32-year-old tells TV WEEK.
“It was terrifying and it’s something that I still carry with me. I felt as if I was betraying my family to go after my own dreams.”
Born in Malaysia before moving to Victoria at five years old, Aaron grew up in a family that had built a successful medical equipment business. Studying science and joining the company felt less like a choice and more like a path already laid out for him.
“As someone my family relied heavily on, I was brought in to help grow the company immediately after I graduated from university,” he explains. “It wasn’t something I really had a choice about, and it became a defining point in my life… one when I felt I didn’t have full control over the direction of my own life.”
While work gave him stability, cooking gave him joy – and the turning point to chase a happier future came when he met his partner, Crystal.
“Without her, I would not have had the courage to step away from the family business and pursue something that made me happy,” he says.
“She’s also the reason why I applied for MasterChef. She saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself.”
MasterChef Australia airs Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday, 7pm on 10 and 10Play.
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