Determined, enthusiastic and never afraid to back her instincts, Alyona Iljuhhina became one of the most creative cooks in the MasterChef Australia kitchen.
Now, after finishing the competition in the Top 8, the clinical research manager is adjusting to life back in the real world – and there’s one surprising thing she misses most.
“I really miss being disconnected from phones and social media,” Alyona tells TV WEEK. “In the competition, you are so present with people. Your brain starts working differently – more creatively, more deeply, more connected. I loved that part and now I deliberately try to have more phone-free time every day.”
Alyona’s journey came to an end during Sam Aisbett’s daunting Pressure Test, when she was unable to complete all the elements of his Michelin-starred mud crab salad.
While making the Top 8 is an incredible achievement, Alyona admits she left the competition feeling she still had more to offer.
“I don’t want that to sound overconfident, but I genuinely felt I still had more to give,” she says. “I received beautiful feedback from the judges throughout the season, especially around flavour, cooking from my heritage, creativity and my palate. I felt like I was still growing, learning and had more dishes and ideas I wanted to share.
“But MasterChef is brutal in that way. Your past dishes don’t save you. On elimination day, it comes down to the plate in front of the judges.”
Accepting that reality wasn’t easy.
“Every Black Apron day I would say, ‘Just so you know, I’m not going anywhere,'” she admits. “So when I actually walked out and the doors closed behind me, part of me still felt like, ‘No, I’m not going anywhere.’
“I was heartbroken, but I also felt this strange sense of acceptance and gratitude. I had lived this incredible experience and now I had to take everything I’d learnt and bring it into the next chapter of my life.”
That next chapter will see Alyona continue celebrating the flavours that made her stand out throughout the competition.
“I’d love to share more food inspired by my Eastern European roots, growing up in Estonia, Baltic and Scandinavian flavours, and the places I’ve travelled,” she says. “I want to take those nostalgic ingredients and make them feel modern, vibrant and nourishing.
“With my nutrition background, I also want to show that healthy food can feel abundant, joyful and incredibly delicious – never restrictive.”
And while her grandmother had been hoping for a Top 5 finish, Alyona has found meaning in her final placing.
“Aaron and Emily kept telling me eight is a lucky number – it’s also the symbol for infinity – so I’m taking that as a beautiful sign,” she smiles.
“I came into MasterChef full of self-doubt and left with confidence, lifelong friendships and a very clear sense that this is only the beginning. I feel like I’ve won just by gaining another family through this experience.”
MasterChef Australia airs Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7pm on Network 10 and 10Play.
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