Meet the MasterChef Australia contestants taking to the famous kitchen in 2021

YoYo

At 19-years-old, YoYo aka Yonica is officially this years youngest contestant! She learnt all the basics of cooking from her mum, dad and grandparents.

Wynona

Wynona, 27, may not have had a successful audition two years ago but she has taken the time to further master her craft and the work has paid off. Her skill set is inspired by her travels across Europe.

Trent

Trent, 23, has a lively approach to cooking and he is inspired by fantastical elements from nature. His favourite dishes to cook are tarts and cakes. In the future he would like to write a food column for a magazine.

Tommy

Tommy is inspired by his mum’s home cooked meals and of course, he believes she is the best cook in the world. He enjoys cooking Vietnamese recipes that his mum taught him.

Scott

This 40-year-old calls himself a food nerd because of his collection of 350 cookbooks and 100 food magazines. He hopes to open his own cooking school and patisserie, which is the perfect combination for his passion towards food, design and education.

Tom

Tom, 24, learnt to cook BBQ and fish from his dad but he is most inspired by is mum and older sister. However, he is most passionate about creating intricate desserts and dreams of becoming a well respected pastry chef.

Sabina

This 21-year-old is ready to tackle the challenge of competing on the show after devouring the program for years. She even walked into the kitchen with a Julie Goodwin signed copy of MasterChef Australia The Cookbook Volume One. Sabina loves working with meat and seafood.

Pete

Pete, 36, is a self-taught cook who loves classic cuisines and is inspired by his travels and eating in different restaurants across the world. He would like to open a wine bar on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in the future.

Maja

Although she grew up in Tasmania the food she cooks is influenced by her parent’s home in Germany and from her Oma. The 33-year-old wants to open a pop-up market stall that sells boutique seafood sausages.

Linda

This 38-year-old has been cooking alongside her grandmother since she was five-years-old and it has always been a big part of her life. With a Laotian mum and Chinese-Cambodian dad, Linda embraces South East Asian food and hopes to open a food truck inspired by those flavours.

Katrina

Katrina, 25, approaches her food with a paddock-to-plate ethos which is likely inspired by her upbringing on a berry farm. By five-years-old she was selling homemade cakes from her farm gate and by ten-years-old she was making family dinners. With an Indonesian and an Australian grandmother, Katrina experienced a diverse amount of flavours growing up, which has strengthened her range of skills.

Justin

Justin, 27, is a huge fan of famous chefs Gordon Ramsay and Gaggan Anand, but also and perhaps his best inspiration is his own mum. He is inspired by the traditional Indian flavours he grew up eating and seasonal produce.

Jess

Jess, 36, has a background as a landscape architect and urban designer which inspires her to make playful dishes that use global and bold flavours.

Eric

This 21-year-old auditioned for Junior MasterChef when he was 10-years-old and although he didn’t make it through back then he is ready to face the challenge now as an adult. He has a passion for Chinese cuisine and hopes to one day open a pop-up restaurant.

Depinder

Depinder, 29, is a self-taught baker who loves making pastries and desserts. Her passion for cooking comes from her father and she also learnt plenty of amazing recipes from her mother.

Dan

Dan, 31, became more interested in cooking after he moved out of home and it ignited his passion. Although, he has gotten married and earned his PhD the Masterchef competition may be his toughest journey yet.

Conor

Conor, 27, has spent the past 10 years working as a restaurant front-of-house but now he is followin his dreams in the kitchen. This Greek boy is making his yiayia proud by competing on the show and he loves cooking traditional Greek cuisine.

Amir

Amir was motivated by his love of the show to create regular Zoom calls with his friends to have a Mystery Box cool-off. He started cooking when he was four-years-old and he loves cooking with Middle Eastern flavours.

Aaron

This Adelaide boy has a love for native ingredients, herbs, and spices which he sources from local markets. He is specifically skilled in cooking seafood and crispy skin pork belly.

Brent

Brent compares his cooking style to his face – “not refined at all.”

A self-taught chef, this contestant grew up eating meat and three veg, but has learned on his own how to give his dishes that je ne sais quoi.

“I found a passion that I didn’t know was there.”

Elise

Self-confessed feeder Elise says her love language is food.

“I want to make people happy, I want to make things beautiful.”

Kishwar

Hailing from a big family of cooks, food has had a big part in Kishwar’s life.

“The Bengali cuisine that I carry with me has been passed down from generation to generation. I’ve always taken a little creative license with it,” she admits in the trailer.

Minoli

At the age of 31, Minoli lost her sense of taste but when it returned, her cooking skills were transformed to a new level.

“It’s given me a whole new insight into flavour and an understanding of food that I never had before.”

Therese

Part Taiwanese, part Burmese, part Chinese cook Therese has one specific foodie passion.

“I love cooking French pastry,” she admits in the trailer.