MasterChef Australia 2021: Meet the Cast

A lawyer, a doctor, a medical student, a restaurant manager and a pharmacist are among the Top 24 for MasterChef Australia 2021.

Judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen settled on their picks for this year’s cooking contest with 10 contestants representing NSW, six from Victoria home, two from South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia, and a one each from both the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

They will battle it out for the 2021 title and $250,000 in prize money.

Up for grabs tonight in the first Mystery Box is a first ever Triple Immunity Pin.

Here are the Top 24:

Aaron Sanders
South Australia, 34, Insurance Claims Manager
After securing one of the final aprons on offer following the second chance cook, Aaron Sanders is out to prove he deserves his place in the MasterChef kitchen. Born and raised in Adelaide, Aaron was a sporty kid and to this day, loves stand up paddle boarding, snowboarding and playing baseball. With a preference for cooking savoury dishes but tasting something sweet, Aaron’s childhood was spent battling severe food allergies, limiting his experience and exposure to a variety of cuisines and dishes. After growing out of many of these allergies, he now relishes the opportunity to expand his horizons and palate.

Amir Manoly
Victoria, 30, Construction Project Manager
Locked down at home in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Amir Manoly wanted to take his regular Zoom catch ups with friends up a notch, opting to create an online mystery box challenge. Selecting seven ingredients, he would challenge each of his mates to create a dish in 90 minutes. It’s this passion for MasterChef Australia and food, that Amir hopes will help propel him to finale week and ultimate glory, as his wife of two years Alicia supports him from home. Crediting his father with his audition dish, Amir’s kunafa with tahini ice cream, pomegranate and rose water meringue shards, was inspired by a Middle Eastern dessert made for him as a child. He remembers being in the kitchen as young as four, helping his parents cook and before long, taking on the role of preparing school lunches for himself and his sisters.

Brent Draper
Queensland, 31, Boilermaker
A hardworking Aussie tradie by day, Brent Draper knows this opportunity in the MasterChef kitchen is a big one. Keen to explore life away from the tools, he’s ready to step into the kitchen and explore his passion: working with culinary delights. Born in the rural Queensland town of Beaudesert, Brent is the oldest of four children and spent several years in the Northern Territory before stints in Brisbane, Perth and Palm Beach. He admits his path to MasterChef Australia started on shaky ground, cooking out of necessity when he lived in a share house at the age of 18 with roomates who couldn’t turn on a stove. Dinner duties fell to Brent and he soon found time to master more than the basics, turning the necessity into a passion.

Conor Curran
Victoria, 27, Restaurant Manager
Conor Curran may have spent ten years working in restaurants, but he is the first to admit he’s been on the wrong side of the pass. Now he’s taking a leap across the divide, confident and keen to explore and showcase what he’s learnt along the way. With a love of traditional Greek recipes and flavours from his mum and yiayia, Conor credits his grandmother with encouraging his love of food. Born and raised in Melbourne, he’s used his decade of experience working in Melbourne’s bustling and vibrant restaurant scene like a sponge, soaking it up, ready to squeeze it out in the MasterChef kitchen.

Dan Dumbrell
NSW, 31, Research Project Officer
A latecomer to the kitchen, Dan Dumbrell started cooking with gusto only eight years ago when he moved out of home. What started out as a basic means to feed himself, soon became a much- loved hobby and after building his skills, the kitchen is now Dan’s ultimate happy place. Growing up in Sydney’s south west with a mix of Chinese and Australian heritage, Dan cooks many Chinese dishes inspired by his mum’s Guangzhou background, but loves putting his own spin on things by melding east with west. This passion for fusion is where Dan sees his future, hoping to launch a food truck based in the Southern Highlands of NSW. Dan’s simple goal is to spread joy in life in whatever way he can, be it big or small.

Depinder Chhibber
NSW, 29, Pharamacist
Born in New Delhi, Depinder Chhibber moved to Newcastle at the age of 11. Now based in Sydney, she still considers herself a Novocastrian, but her heart and soul remains in India. Highly influenced by the women in her family, Depinder grew up watching her grandmother, mum and aunties cook, fascinating and inspiring her to cook from a very young age. This involvement has nurtured her style of cooking, learning many traditional recipes from her mother and her passion to cook from her father. Her biggest supporter is her husband Gurkirat, who she married in 2018. Together they’ve had the opportunity to travel Australia and the world, bonding over a good meal and new scenery, with dining experiences often dictating destinations.

Elise Pulbrook
Victoria, 28, Lawyer
With both Italian and Sri Lankan heritage, lawyer Elise Pulbrook cemented her place in the MasterChef kitchen after securing one of the final aprons of the competition, with a bold and nostalgic seafood dish. For Elise it’s all about cooking for family. Supported at home by boyfriend Adam and their dog Tibby, Elise credits her nonna as one of her greatest influences. She remembers waking as a toddler to find her mother, nonna and great- grandmother making coloured fettuccini, and being desperate to take part as she watched the strands dry out on multiple clothes racks. Inspired by a school trip to Japan at the age of 14, Elise has since returned three times and considers the country a second home.

Eric Mao
NSW, 21, Medical Student
At the tender age of 21, Eric Mao is already a veteran of the MasterChef kitchen. He auditioned for Junior MasterChef Australia some ten years ago at 10 years of age, and although he didn’t quite make it into the competition, the MasterChef magic stuck with him. One of two children born to his immigrant Chinese parents, Eric is inspired to share his food philosophy and passion for regional Chinese cuisine with Australia. With roots in Wuxi in Eastern China, Eric and his family have travelled back to their homeland on numerous occasions. Eric cites a Lunar New Year Huaiyang banquet in 2018 as having blown his mind. He found it truly revolutionary and it heavily influenced his connection to food.

Jess Hodge
NSW, 36, Architect
For Jess Hodge, family is everything and she’s banking on the support of wife Emily and three- year-old twin sons Arlo and Lucca as her ultimate cheer squad. They are the driving force behind her desire to succeed on MasterChef Australia and Jess sees her spot in the Top 24 as the catalyst for changing her young family’s life. Through her work as a landscape architect, urban designer and university lecturer, Jess creates spaces that are engaging, useable and inspire delight, and her skill in the kitchen clearly enables her to inspire delight too. Describing her cooking style as explorative, creative and generous, Jess says she learnt cooking by osmosis, from spending time with her German grandmother creating many happy food memories.

Justin Narayan
Western Australia, 27, Youth Pastor
Justin Narayan might look up to chefs like Gaggan Anand and Gordon Ramsay, but he doesn’t need to look much further than his own family for inspiration. Being the first generation born in Australia, Justin’s Fijian and Indian heritage has always remained front and centre. His mum is among his biggest inspirations and Justin says she is hands-down the best cook he knows. The eldest of three siblings, Justin has always been close to his parti (grandmother) and tata (grandfather), watching cooking shows together and cooking for them. With his tata having now passed, Justin takes comfort in having learnt from him the importance of living a life well, leaving a legacy and laying the groundwork for future generations.

Katrina Dunnett
Victoria, 25, Marketing Coordinator
Describing cooking as “me time”, Katrina Dunnett says spending time behind the kitchen bench gives her solace and peace. Inspired by cuisine diversity, Katrina credits her Indonesian oma (grandmother) for teaching her about different flavours and her Australian grandmother for teaching her classics like pavlova. When it comes to sweet treats, Katrina says nothing compares to the boulangerie aromas of Nathaniel Doboin and Thomas Teffri- Chambellands’ Chambelland, a daily indulgence during a six-month stint living in Paris.

Kishwar Chowdhury
Victoria, 38, Printing Business Owner
With dreams of sharing Bengali cuisine with Australia, Kishwar Chowdhury admits food is at the heart of her large Bangladeshi-Indian family. Born and raised in Melbourne, Kishwar proudly talks of her parents Laila and Kamrul Chowdhury (OAM), who are pillars and founders of the Bangladeshi community in Victoria. Their stature led to her home becoming a self-described soup kitchen of sorts, with family members, friends and community members popping over at all times. After completing Year 12 at Presbyterian Ladies College, Kishwar completed a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University before completing a post-graduate degree in Graphic Design from the University of the Arts in London.

Linda Dalrymple
NSW, 38, Full-Time Mum
For Linda Dalrymple, motivation and inspiration come in equal parts from the generations either side of her. With her heritage a mix of Laotian on her mother’s side and Chinese-Cambodian on her father’s, her unique cultural blend sets apart both her palate and food knowledge. Combine this background with raising her own two children, aged four and two, Linda is here to prove to her kids that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. With a love of cooking ingrained from childhood, Linda spent time in the kitchen with her grandma before she was five years old and learnt from her parents and aunties growing up. Linda is proud to still own and use her grandma’s cake tins.

Maja Veit
Western Australia, 33, Executive Assistant
Growing up on a hobby farm in Tasmania’s Huon Valley gave Maja Veit an appreciation of food origins from a young age. Along with her parents Michael and Henni, who immigrated from Germany, Maja and her younger brother Tom enjoyed running amuck on the farm and were lucky enough to enjoy self-grown produce every day. In the kitchen before she could walk, Maja was always helping her parents cook, especially with her mum baking fresh stone-ground bread. When the family moved back to Berlin for four years when Maja was two, the toddler was often called on to help her oma (grandmother) in the kitchen, leading to some of her fondest food memories. It was rare for her oma to let anyone into the kitchen but Maja somehow managed to sneak a spot.

Minoli De Silva
Northern Territory, 34, Chemical Engineer
For petite-powerhouse Minoli De Silva, taking her place in MasterChef Australia’s Top 24 is the culmination of a lifetime in the kitchen. Born in Sri Lanka, Minoli was six when her family moved to Melbourne, but the culinary delights of her homeland infused her childhood. Growing up, Minoli’s mother would use seasonal produce to prepare delicious Sri Lankan curries and often cooked with lesser-known ingredients including chicken giblets, bitter gourd, jackfruit and dried fish. The eldest of three sisters, Minoli says it’s no surprise her favourite dish to cook is a Sri Lankan chicken curry using a recipe passed down from her mum.

Pete Campbell
NSW, 36, Tattoo Artist
For someone who only started cooking six years ago, Pete Campbell has come a long way. Knowing he wanted more from life, in 2015 Pete quit his corporate job of 10 years and he and wife Alana took a massive leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles with a two-year-old daughter and another baby on the way. After hanging up his suit and tie, Pete sought a more laid back and creative way to make a living, opening a coffee shop and retraining as a tattoo artist. He even tattooed his hands to make sure he never ended up back at a desk job he hated. Falling in love with food when he and his wife travelled across Europe, Asia and USA in 2013, the pair made a point of eating at fine-dining restaurants in each city. Pete discovered an appreciation of food as art, noticing how their dining experiences had the potential to truly change their outlook on a city.

Sabina Newton
Tasmania, 21, Commerce Student
Proudly representing Tasmania in this year’s Top 24, Sabina Newton hopes she can reap rewards in the kitchen, from a childhood spent outdoors fishing and cooking with her family. The middle of three daughters, Sabina fondly recalls spending time with sisters Lydia and Poppy at their family shack at Coles Bay, located on the eastern coast of the island state. It was here she mastered scuba diving and would catch flathead with her grandfather every summer. It’s been a long journey to the kitchen for the commerce student, who as an eight-year-old watched in awe as Julie Goodwin took her place as MasterChef Australia’s inaugural winner. With high hopes to join Julie and those who have won the coveted title, Sabina knows she has strengths in meat and seafood, but may need to work on her pastry and dessert skills to round out her dominance.

Scott Bagnell
Queensland, 40, Commercial Interior Designer
When tasked with making the cake for his sister’s wedding, Scott Bagnell was never going to take the easy path. He opted for a two-tiered masterpiece and decided to create 12 additional cakes, one for each table. Scott admits the layered wattle seed, dark chocolate, lemon myrtle and white chocolate delicacies were a lot to take on, but as guests partied the night away, he knew it was all worth it. Supported by his partner Andrew and their maine coon cat Kingsley, Scott says food was always at the centre of his childhood. His extended family grew their own vegetables and he fondly recalls helping his mum and nana pickle vegetables, bake tarts and biscuits in the morning, before catching mud crabs and fish in the afternoon with his dad.

Therese Lum
NSW, 31, Performance Data Analyst
With a mix of Burmese, Taiwanese and Chinese heritage, Therese Lum is no stranger to bold flavours, pungent aromas and the art of balance in the kitchen. Born and raised in Sydney with younger sister Jillian, Therese has always loved cooking and has rich childhood memories of Cantonese feasts at her grandmother’s house. During summer holidays, Therese’s family would often return to Taiwan to visit her mum’s family. Therese recalls visits to night markets, foraging and catching fresh shrimp to cook.

Tom Levick
NSW, 24, Law Graduate
Perhaps the ultimate all-rounder, it seems there isn’t much Tom Levick can’t do. Having grown up on the mid-north coast of NSW and now based in Newcastle, in 2020 Tom completed his law degree and is qualified to be admitted as a lawyer. Ironically, he now finds himself wanting to pursue a career in food, saying it’s taken him six years of study to realise he can do anything he wants. Inspired to cook by his mum and older sister, Tom got started in the kitchen at the age of six. His barrister father taught him to fish and BBQ, and Tom still loves fishing and cooking what he catches.

Tommy Pham
NSW, 31, Kindergarten Teacher
For new dad Tommy Pham, the hardest part of joining MasterChef Australia has been focusing on the competition and not what his baby boy Miles is doing back home. Having welcomed Miles into the world with his partner in April 2020, Tommy is sacrificing a lot to work towards achieving his food dream. Raised by his Vietnamese mum, Tommy says home cooked meals from his childhood are what has most inspired his cooking and that his mum is the best cook in the world. Growing up in Sydney, Tommy admits to falling in with the wrong crowd in his teens, but he eventually graduated from university and went on to work in IT before moving abroad to Japan. A two-year stint living and working in Tokyo, steered Tommy towards teaching and he is now a kindergarten teacher.

Trent Vu
Victoria, 23, Marketing Executive
When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, Trent Vu faced what many other Australians were battling and was made redundant from his job. Determined not to let it get him down, he used the opportunity to reassess his career, embracing his passion for food and launching his own food blog. Born and raised in Melbourne’s south east, Trent was immersed in the area’s vibrant Vietnamese community and credits his mum with teaching him the basics in the kitchen. Inspired by Nigella Lawson, Poh Ling Yeow and Darren Purchese, Trent cites Janice Wong as a game changer for desserts, mesmerised by her cassis plum when he visited 2am Dessert Bar in Singapore.

Wynona Davies
NSW, 27, Marketing Coordinator
Part of a big, blended family with a sister and two stepbrothers, Wynona Davies grew up in Victoria, but having made the move to Sydney seven years ago, it’s the Northern Beaches she now calls home. A study of perseverance, Wynona applied to be part of MasterChef Australia two years ago and while unsuccessful, it has been part of the road which has led her back here. Since then she has gained the confidence to start her own food blog and is continually striving to be a better cook.

YoYo Yang
South Australia, 19, Medical Student
After wowing the judges at auditions with her signature Korean, American and Taiwanese inspired fried chicken, teenage medical sensation Yonina Yang, better known as YoYo, now hopes she has what it takes to make it all the way to finale week. Buoyed by the support of her parents and younger brothers, the 19-year-old is determined not to let her age and status as this year’s youngest contestant, leave anyone in doubt that she’s here to claim the top prize. Born in the United States, YoYo moved to China as a one-year-old before making the move to Adelaide two years later.

MasterChef airs 7:30pm Sunday – Thursday on 10.