If it wasn’t for a sneaky push from partner Bridge, Vinnie Gibaldi might never have set foot in the MasterChef Australia kitchen.
“She and my cousin signed me up behind my back,” the 25-year-old tells TV WEEK with a laugh. “She gave me that push and she’s been nothing but the most supportive person every single day since.”
Thankfully for Vinnie, his natural cooking talent has kept him in the competition – along with the calm temperament he developed working as a registered nurse, where he assists in high-pressure surgeries such as liver transplants.
“I can relate a lot of the qualities that have helped me in the kitchen directly to my job,” he explains. “Dealing with stress, high-pressure environments and being able to adapt started me off on the right foot.”
Still, long before nursing, food was always his first love. Growing up in a big Italian family in Melbourne, Vinnie was surrounded by home-cooking thanks to his beloved nonnas – and his father even owned a restaurant on iconic Lygon Street.
Funnily enough, there was even a MasterChef crossover years before Vinnie joined the show himself.
“Matt Preston and Curtis Stone have been to Dad’s restaurant,” he reveals. “He makes an Italian flatbread called piadina, which is usually savoury, but he made one with Nutella, strawberries and ice cream… Matt Preston loved it!”
With Vinnie cooking straight from the heart and his Italian heritage, Nostalgia Week might just prove to be his perfect recipe for success.
MasterChef Australia airs Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7pm on Network Ten and 10Play.
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