It’s not everyday that second chances are granted in the MasterChef Australia kitchen, but in last night’s episode, one very lucky eliminated contestant was given the opportunity to cook for a chance to come back into the competition.
After a very high stakes cook featuring some very incredible dishes, it was 20-year-old Bella Di Conza who came out on top, winning back her white apron and spot in the competition. For Bella, it was a very exciting shock.
“I can’t think of any way to describe the feeling other than it felt like I hadn’t woken up from a dream,” Bella tells TV WEEK.
“Finding out about the second chance cook was exciting, but with the talent of the other cooks I was up against I really had accepted that it was more of an opportunity to have a fun day catching up with the other contestants, and then go home and continue normal life the next day.
The dish that won over the judges was called ‘Nonna’s garden’, a unique dessert created from chocolate and capsicum. Bella says it was a flavour combination she started experimenting with after tasting a spicy capsicum chocolate bar at a small batch chocolate maker.
“I was so intrigued by the flavour combination that I wanted to build a dish around it,” she explained.
“As the dish came together, I realised I was incorporating a lot of produce that my Nonna grows in her garden, and I was reminded of time spent with her as a kid. I was always in awe of the bounty of produce that came from her small vegetable patch. It felt fitting to dedicate the dish to her given she’s had such a big influence on my passion for cooking growing up.”
While she was excited to be back in the MasterChef kitchen after a month away, Bella admits that the time away has its pros and cons.
“There were both advantages and disadvantages to being out of the kitchen for so long,” Bella shares.
“Being in the competition is really intense, not just physically but emotionally. Having a break meant I came back with a renewed energy.
“On the flip side, I missed out on a lot of the development that comes from being in such an intense environment. I was worried my dishes would no longer stand up to what the other contestants were cooking given they’d been doing so much practice.”
Now that she’s back, we can’t wait to see what Bella will be plating up!
You can watch MasterChef on 10 and 10Play.
