Estonian-raised Alyona became a huge fan of MasterChef Australia when she was working in Ireland.
“I always thought it is just crazy, and the people who are on it are just these food gods,” Alyona, 38, tells TV WEEK.
The clinical research manager moved to Australia in 2019. While wandering around a food and wine show she was drawn to the MasterChef stand, purely as a fan.
“One thing led to another,” she remembers.
“I suddenly just started putting my name down and, in that moment, I just had this full-body experience, feeling like: ‘Oh, there’s something in this.’”
Walking into the MasterChef kitchen was “very overwhelming”, but then she had a conversation with Aaron and Olaolu about offal.
“They were so passionate about it and I was like, ‘Yes! I’ve found my people!’”
Alyona has no family in Australia, but she has had so many “emotional cooks” on the show that she feels have connected her to family and friends back in Estonia.
“I would call them and I would be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I cooked something and there’s a story I remembered about us or something that reconnected to my father,’ who has passed away.
“It brought me close to my friends and my family – even though I was so distant from them.”
You can watch MasterChef Australia on 10 or 10play.
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