For a salt-of-the-earth bloke from the small Tasmanian town of Smithton, the MasterChef Australia kitchen was a shock. But butcher Josh “Pezza” Perry has rolled with the punches and it’s paid off big-time.
“My biggest fear coming into the competition was that I’m not a dessert man – I like to cook savoury,” Josh, 43, tells TV WEEK.
“I don’t cook nice little cakes, but when you do it and you do it well, it’s so rewarding.”
Somehow managing to navigate chef Darren Purchese’s cherry blossom dessert challenge was a big win for Josh, who narrowly avoided going home in week one of the competition.
“The first goal was obviously to not go home first – I was right on the chopping block,” Josh recalls. “Now, being in the top 10 is just a pinch-yourself moment. I’m proving myself – I’m not just a little old home cook – I’m good enough to be in it.”
Cheering on Josh back home are his family, including wife Jen, their four teenage and adult kids, and four grandkids.
“Before MasterChef, I’d probably been away from the wife for three days in the 20-plus years we’ve been married,” Josh laughs. “It’s gut-wrenching. Back home, there’s a nice little spot that we go for a walk to each night – it’s just nice to talk and unwind. I miss that.”
With the top 10 cooks facing some of the toughest MasterChef challenges yet this week, will Josh survive elimination and make Smithton proud?
MasterChef Australia airs Monday to Wednesday and Sunday at 7:30pm on Channel Ten.
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