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'Craziest ride of my life': MasterChef judge leading by example

Andy Allen was working for his cousin on a building site in Wickham 13 years ago when he received the phone call that would change his life. "I was an electrician at the time, and I had sent out the application [to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia] thinking nothing would come of it," he tells Weekender. "A friend of mine dared me to do it, actually. "I still remember being on the job site and getting a phone call from an unknown number - this was a couple of months after I'd filled out the application, so I'd pretty much forgotten all about it. "I answered, and it was a producer on MasterChef asking if I could come down to Sydney and have a crack. "So I had to talk to my boss, who was my cousin, and I was like 'Mate, I've gotta go down to Sydney for a couple of days and I'll see you next week'. Well, one thing led to another and another and I never went back to the job site!" Andy, who was born and raised in Maitland, was one exam away from completing his electrician qualifications. He loved to play basketball and he loved to cook, and watched cooking shows to improve his skills. But he took a punt, made it to the final 24 contestants on season four of MasterChef Australia, and on July 25, 2012, defeated Julia Taylor and Audra Morrice in the grand finale. After the show, he published his first cookbook, The Next Element, and started working as a cook at Sydney restaurant Three Blue Ducks. In 2016, he jumped on board as a co-owner when the Three Blue Ducks opened a new restaurant in Rosebery. Two years later, it was awarded an SMH Good Food Guide chef's hat. Andy dipped his toe into the television presenting world, working on Andy and Ben Eat Australia, Andy and Ben Eat The World, Farm To Fork and Three Blue Ducks for Network 10. In 2020, in what was a first for the series worldwide, Andy returned to the MasterChef kitchen as a judge. He's currently on our television screens as a judge on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win alongside Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli. He's in Melbourne when Weekender calls, having recently bought a house with wife Alexandra (the couple married in 2022) for $3.85 million in Northcote. I know how much he paid because the finer details of the sale were shared widely by the media in April. "I was pretty shocked at that ... it must have been a slow news day," Andy quips. "Alex and I had been toying around with the idea of buying a place down here for a while. I'm loving it - I have jobs to do, mow the lawn, all that stuff. I'm finding myself turning into my old man, which is a little bit scary. I now understand why he would just potter around the house on a Saturday morning." Any electrical work that needed to be done? "No, we got a place that was fully ready to go," he replies, laughing. "It's the first home we've purchased together, so it's nice to feel a sense of accomplishment for something we've worked really hard for." He describes his first season as a judge, alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong, as "bizarre". "Matt [Preston], Gary [Mehigan] and George [Calombaris] had done their thing for such a long time. It wasn't so much nerves, I was more wondering how this was going to go," Andy says. "It was so weird, as soon as I got that first critique out, I realised that they respected my opinion, they respected what I'd done in the industry, they just wanted to get better, and they knew that this was a huge learning process. "It was a huge weight off my shoulders. "Doing Back To Win again, I feel like I'm part of the furniture now at the studio." MasterChef is produced in more than 50 countries and airs in 200 territories. I ask why it is that MasterChef Australia continues to rate the highest among international audiences. "You know, I have thought about it, and I reckon it's so popular because we treat it as a cooking competition," Andy says. "I mean, I was a sparky in Newcastle before I filled out that application form and went on the craziest ride of my life. "When all you're trying to do is get the best out of people in such a positive environment, they realise that they can grab onto this opportunity with both hands and see what they can do with it. They know it can change their lives." There are so many former MasterChef Australia contestants working in the food industry, in the media, and writing books. It's proof that this is a competition with a reward that extends beyond the $250,000 prize money. "We film for five-and-a-half months a year, contestants leave their friends, their family, their careers. There's so much on the line for the contestants," Andy says. "It's an experience for people to walk into that kitchen, let their guard down, lap it up and see what they can get out of it. "The MasterChef kitchen is the ultimate leveller. It doesn't matter how much experience you've got, the challenges are just so random, and you can't be good at everything." Scottish-born Jock died unexpectedly in April 2023, the day before season 15 of MasterChef Australia was due to premiere. The outpouring of grief from the 46-year-old's industry peers, family, friends and fans has been well-documented. Andy and Jock shared a strong bond and were great mates. Was it difficult to carry on as a judge in a space that Jock filled with his personality and presence? "Oh, it was rough at the start. It was rough," Andy says. "I'm kind of lucky, I guess, because I've never had someone really close to me pass away, especially so suddenly. This was a full crash course in grieving. "On last year's series, the first shot was just me in the kitchen with a light shining on me, 20-odd new contestants running through the doors, and I just remember feeling it was sink or swim at that point. "There was one part of me going 'This is going to be really hard' and another part going 'What would Jock do?' And I know he would just get in there and do the best job that he possibly could. "That's been my mission for a couple of seasons now; to really make sure that what we created lives on in the best possible way. "And there's still many times when I get that wave of grief that sweeps me up ... and that's one of the things I've learned about grief, it will hit you any time, it will hit you over the most insignificant thing, and you just have to accept that and continue to move forward." Andy reckons he's "getting there" when it comes to dealing with his grief. "Last year it was a lot about missing Jock and wishing he was around. This year, I still miss him every single day, don't get me wrong, but for me it's now more about celebrating him and trying to move forward," he says. "Sometimes this wave comes over me, it will be one small, minute thing and it just gets you, it cripples you, and there have been times on set when I just go white for no reason and the producers are, like, 'Are you OK?' "But you have to just process it and move forward. When you love someone dearly and they're not there any more, that's what happens." Outside of the MasterChef kitchen, Andy enjoys spending time in his own. He creates and shares cooking videos on social media and says he is inspired by the contestants he judges week in and week out. "Cooking is still an outlet for me. I still enjoy it," he says. "I'll come home after a 12-hour day and cook Alex dinner. That's my switch-off time, I can just focus on what's for dinner. It sounds so cringe but it's also so real: when there's a lot of other stuff going on in your life, you can process it while you're cooking a bowl of pasta. "I get to spend six months of my life being inspired by what contestants can do with food when they're put under pressure. If you're not inspired in that kind of situation, it's probably time to give it up, you know?" He had been training for a half marathon, however, says he "did a hamstring seven weeks out". "I'm still not 100 per cent better. But my wife got there, and she ran another one last week. She's got the bug," he says. In 2022, Andy co-founded new mid-strength beer Travla with Australian actor Travis Fimmel (Vikings, Warcraft, Raised By Wolves, Dune: Prophecy, Black Snow, Boy Swallows Universe), so that is also keeping him busy. "He's a funny, unique man who will not quit until it's a success. He's the best business partner I could ever ask for," Andy says. "Travla has started to go really, really well. It's starting to kick some goals as a beer brand that celebrates country living and country values. "Travis is a country boy. He grew up just outside of Echuca, at Lockington, and it doesn't matter where he goes or what he does, he'll always be that guy from Lockington. "He's got this total juxtaposition of what he's exposed to through what he does in Hollywood and around he world, but at heart he's a guy who just wants to be on the farm." So, does he ever miss his sparky days? "My tool kit is still at Mum and Dad's," he says. "I'll go home to visit and sometimes there will be a box of downlights or a couple of ceiling fans in front of the door, and Mum gives me the eye. "I can't really say no, can I?" Andy Allen was working for his cousin on a building site in Wickham 13 years ago when he received the phone call that would change his life. "I was an electrician at the time, and I had sent out the application [to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia] thinking nothing would come of it," he tells Weekender. "A friend of mine dared me to do it, actually. "I still remember being on the job site and getting a phone call from an unknown number - this was a couple of months after I'd filled out the application, so I'd pretty much forgotten all about it. "I answered, and it was a producer on MasterChef asking if I could come down to Sydney and have a crack. "So I had to talk to my boss, who was my cousin, and I was like 'Mate, I've gotta go down to Sydney for a couple of days and I'll see you next week'. Well, one thing led to another and another and I never went back to the job site!" Andy, who was born and raised in Maitland, was one exam away from completing his electrician qualifications. He loved to play basketball and he loved to cook, and watched cooking shows to improve his skills. But he took a punt, made it to the final 24 contestants on season four of MasterChef Australia, and on July 25, 2012, defeated Julia Taylor and Audra Morrice in the grand finale. After the show, he published his first cookbook, The Next Element, and started working as a cook at Sydney restaurant Three Blue Ducks. In 2016, he jumped on board as a co-owner when the Three Blue Ducks opened a new restaurant in Rosebery. Two years later, it was awarded an SMH Good Food Guide chef's hat. Andy dipped his toe into the television presenting world, working on Andy and Ben Eat Australia, Andy and Ben Eat The World, Farm To Fork and Three Blue Ducks for Network 10. In 2020, in what was a first for the series worldwide, Andy returned to the MasterChef kitchen as a judge. He's currently on our television screens as a judge on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win alongside Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli. He's in Melbourne when Weekender calls, having recently bought a house with wife Alexandra (the couple married in 2022) for $3.85 million in Northcote. I know how much he paid because the finer details of the sale were shared widely by the media in April. "I was pretty shocked at that ... it must have been a slow news day," Andy quips. "Alex and I had been toying around with the idea of buying a place down here for a while. I'm loving it - I have jobs to do, mow the lawn, all that stuff. I'm finding myself turning into my old man, which is a little bit scary. I now understand why he would just potter around the house on a Saturday morning." Any electrical work that needed to be done? "No, we got a place that was fully ready to go," he replies, laughing. "It's the first home we've purchased together, so it's nice to feel a sense of accomplishment for something we've worked really hard for." He describes his first season as a judge, alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong, as "bizarre". "Matt [Preston], Gary [Mehigan] and George [Calombaris] had done their thing for such a long time. It wasn't so much nerves, I was more wondering how this was going to go," Andy says. "It was so weird, as soon as I got that first critique out, I realised that they respected my opinion, they respected what I'd done in the industry, they just wanted to get better, and they knew that this was a huge learning process. "It was a huge weight off my shoulders. "Doing Back To Win again, I feel like I'm part of the furniture now at the studio." MasterChef is produced in more than 50 countries and airs in 200 territories. I ask why it is that MasterChef Australia continues to rate the highest among international audiences. "You know, I have thought about it, and I reckon it's so popular because we treat it as a cooking competition," Andy says. "I mean, I was a sparky in Newcastle before I filled out that application form and went on the craziest ride of my life. "When all you're trying to do is get the best out of people in such a positive environment, they realise that they can grab onto this opportunity with both hands and see what they can do with it. They know it can change their lives." There are so many former MasterChef Australia contestants working in the food industry, in the media, and writing books. It's proof that this is a competition with a reward that extends beyond the $250,000 prize money. "We film for five-and-a-half months a year, contestants leave their friends, their family, their careers. There's so much on the line for the contestants," Andy says. "It's an experience for people to walk into that kitchen, let their guard down, lap it up and see what they can get out of it. "The MasterChef kitchen is the ultimate leveller. It doesn't matter how much experience you've got, the challenges are just so random, and you can't be good at everything." Scottish-born Jock died unexpectedly in April 2023, the day before season 15 of MasterChef Australia was due to premiere. The outpouring of grief from the 46-year-old's industry peers, family, friends and fans has been well-documented. Andy and Jock shared a strong bond and were great mates. Was it difficult to carry on as a judge in a space that Jock filled with his personality and presence? "Oh, it was rough at the start. It was rough," Andy says. "I'm kind of lucky, I guess, because I've never had someone really close to me pass away, especially so suddenly. This was a full crash course in grieving. "On last year's series, the first shot was just me in the kitchen with a light shining on me, 20-odd new contestants running through the doors, and I just remember feeling it was sink or swim at that point. "There was one part of me going 'This is going to be really hard' and another part going 'What would Jock do?' And I know he would just get in there and do the best job that he possibly could. "That's been my mission for a couple of seasons now; to really make sure that what we created lives on in the best possible way. "And there's still many times when I get that wave of grief that sweeps me up ... and that's one of the things I've learned about grief, it will hit you any time, it will hit you over the most insignificant thing, and you just have to accept that and continue to move forward." Andy reckons he's "getting there" when it comes to dealing with his grief. "Last year it was a lot about missing Jock and wishing he was around. This year, I still miss him every single day, don't get me wrong, but for me it's now more about celebrating him and trying to move forward," he says. "Sometimes this wave comes over me, it will be one small, minute thing and it just gets you, it cripples you, and there have been times on set when I just go white for no reason and the producers are, like, 'Are you OK?' "But you have to just process it and move forward. When you love someone dearly and they're not there any more, that's what happens." Outside of the MasterChef kitchen, Andy enjoys spending time in his own. He creates and shares cooking videos on social media and says he is inspired by the contestants he judges week in and week out. "Cooking is still an outlet for me. I still enjoy it," he says. "I'll come home after a 12-hour day and cook Alex dinner. That's my switch-off time, I can just focus on what's for dinner. It sounds so cringe but it's also so real: when there's a lot of other stuff going on in your life, you can process it while you're cooking a bowl of pasta. "I get to spend six months of my life being inspired by what contestants can do with food when they're put under pressure. If you're not inspired in that kind of situation, it's probably time to give it up, you know?" He had been training for a half marathon, however, says he "did a hamstring seven weeks out". "I'm still not 100 per cent better. But my wife got there, and she ran another one last week. She's got the bug," he says. In 2022, Andy co-founded new mid-strength beer Travla with Australian actor Travis Fimmel (Vikings, Warcraft, Raised By Wolves, Dune: Prophecy, Black Snow, Boy Swallows Universe), so that is also keeping him busy. "He's a funny, unique man who will not quit until it's a success. He's the best business partner I could ever ask for," Andy says. "Travla has started to go really, really well. It's starting to kick some goals as a beer brand that celebrates country living and country values. "Travis is a country boy. He grew up just outside of Echuca, at Lockington, and it doesn't matter where he goes or what he does, he'll always be that guy from Lockington. "He's got this total juxtaposition of what he's exposed to through what he does in Hollywood and around he world, but at heart he's a guy who just wants to be on the farm." So, does he ever miss his sparky days? "My tool kit is still at Mum and Dad's," he says. "I'll go home to visit and sometimes there will be a box of downlights or a couple of ceiling fans in front of the door, and Mum gives me the eye. "I can't really say no, can I?" Andy Allen was working for his cousin on a building site in Wickham 13 years ago when he received the phone call that would change his life. "I was an electrician at the time, and I had sent out the application [to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia] thinking nothing would come of it," he tells Weekender. "A friend of mine dared me to do it, actually. "I still remember being on the job site and getting a phone call from an unknown number - this was a couple of months after I'd filled out the application, so I'd pretty much forgotten all about it. "I answered, and it was a producer on MasterChef asking if I could come down to Sydney and have a crack. "So I had to talk to my boss, who was my cousin, and I was like 'Mate, I've gotta go down to Sydney for a couple of days and I'll see you next week'. Well, one thing led to another and another and I never went back to the job site!" Andy, who was born and raised in Maitland, was one exam away from completing his electrician qualifications. He loved to play basketball and he loved to cook, and watched cooking shows to improve his skills. But he took a punt, made it to the final 24 contestants on season four of MasterChef Australia, and on July 25, 2012, defeated Julia Taylor and Audra Morrice in the grand finale. After the show, he published his first cookbook, The Next Element, and started working as a cook at Sydney restaurant Three Blue Ducks. In 2016, he jumped on board as a co-owner when the Three Blue Ducks opened a new restaurant in Rosebery. Two years later, it was awarded an SMH Good Food Guide chef's hat. Andy dipped his toe into the television presenting world, working on Andy and Ben Eat Australia, Andy and Ben Eat The World, Farm To Fork and Three Blue Ducks for Network 10. In 2020, in what was a first for the series worldwide, Andy returned to the MasterChef kitchen as a judge. He's currently on our television screens as a judge on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win alongside Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli. He's in Melbourne when Weekender calls, having recently bought a house with wife Alexandra (the couple married in 2022) for $3.85 million in Northcote. I know how much he paid because the finer details of the sale were shared widely by the media in April. "I was pretty shocked at that ... it must have been a slow news day," Andy quips. "Alex and I had been toying around with the idea of buying a place down here for a while. I'm loving it - I have jobs to do, mow the lawn, all that stuff. I'm finding myself turning into my old man, which is a little bit scary. I now understand why he would just potter around the house on a Saturday morning." Any electrical work that needed to be done? "No, we got a place that was fully ready to go," he replies, laughing. "It's the first home we've purchased together, so it's nice to feel a sense of accomplishment for something we've worked really hard for." He describes his first season as a judge, alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong, as "bizarre". "Matt [Preston], Gary [Mehigan] and George [Calombaris] had done their thing for such a long time. It wasn't so much nerves, I was more wondering how this was going to go," Andy says. "It was so weird, as soon as I got that first critique out, I realised that they respected my opinion, they respected what I'd done in the industry, they just wanted to get better, and they knew that this was a huge learning process. "It was a huge weight off my shoulders. "Doing Back To Win again, I feel like I'm part of the furniture now at the studio." MasterChef is produced in more than 50 countries and airs in 200 territories. I ask why it is that MasterChef Australia continues to rate the highest among international audiences. "You know, I have thought about it, and I reckon it's so popular because we treat it as a cooking competition," Andy says. "I mean, I was a sparky in Newcastle before I filled out that application form and went on the craziest ride of my life. "When all you're trying to do is get the best out of people in such a positive environment, they realise that they can grab onto this opportunity with both hands and see what they can do with it. They know it can change their lives." There are so many former MasterChef Australia contestants working in the food industry, in the media, and writing books. It's proof that this is a competition with a reward that extends beyond the $250,000 prize money. "We film for five-and-a-half months a year, contestants leave their friends, their family, their careers. There's so much on the line for the contestants," Andy says. "It's an experience for people to walk into that kitchen, let their guard down, lap it up and see what they can get out of it. "The MasterChef kitchen is the ultimate leveller. It doesn't matter how much experience you've got, the challenges are just so random, and you can't be good at everything." Scottish-born Jock died unexpectedly in April 2023, the day before season 15 of MasterChef Australia was due to premiere. The outpouring of grief from the 46-year-old's industry peers, family, friends and fans has been well-documented. Andy and Jock shared a strong bond and were great mates. Was it difficult to carry on as a judge in a space that Jock filled with his personality and presence? "Oh, it was rough at the start. It was rough," Andy says. "I'm kind of lucky, I guess, because I've never had someone really close to me pass away, especially so suddenly. This was a full crash course in grieving. "On last year's series, the first shot was just me in the kitchen with a light shining on me, 20-odd new contestants running through the doors, and I just remember feeling it was sink or swim at that point. "There was one part of me going 'This is going to be really hard' and another part going 'What would Jock do?' And I know he would just get in there and do the best job that he possibly could. "That's been my mission for a couple of seasons now; to really make sure that what we created lives on in the best possible way. "And there's still many times when I get that wave of grief that sweeps me up ... and that's one of the things I've learned about grief, it will hit you any time, it will hit you over the most insignificant thing, and you just have to accept that and continue to move forward." Andy reckons he's "getting there" when it comes to dealing with his grief. "Last year it was a lot about missing Jock and wishing he was around. This year, I still miss him every single day, don't get me wrong, but for me it's now more about celebrating him and trying to move forward," he says. "Sometimes this wave comes over me, it will be one small, minute thing and it just gets you, it cripples you, and there have been times on set when I just go white for no reason and the producers are, like, 'Are you OK?' "But you have to just process it and move forward. When you love someone dearly and they're not there any more, that's what happens." Outside of the MasterChef kitchen, Andy enjoys spending time in his own. He creates and shares cooking videos on social media and says he is inspired by the contestants he judges week in and week out. "Cooking is still an outlet for me. I still enjoy it," he says. "I'll come home after a 12-hour day and cook Alex dinner. That's my switch-off time, I can just focus on what's for dinner. It sounds so cringe but it's also so real: when there's a lot of other stuff going on in your life, you can process it while you're cooking a bowl of pasta. "I get to spend six months of my life being inspired by what contestants can do with food when they're put under pressure. If you're not inspired in that kind of situation, it's probably time to give it up, you know?" He had been training for a half marathon, however, says he "did a hamstring seven weeks out". "I'm still not 100 per cent better. But my wife got there, and she ran another one last week. She's got the bug," he says. In 2022, Andy co-founded new mid-strength beer Travla with Australian actor Travis Fimmel (Vikings, Warcraft, Raised By Wolves, Dune: Prophecy, Black Snow, Boy Swallows Universe), so that is also keeping him busy. "He's a funny, unique man who will not quit until it's a success. He's the best business partner I could ever ask for," Andy says. "Travla has started to go really, really well. It's starting to kick some goals as a beer brand that celebrates country living and country values. "Travis is a country boy. He grew up just outside of Echuca, at Lockington, and it doesn't matter where he goes or what he does, he'll always be that guy from Lockington. "He's got this total juxtaposition of what he's exposed to through what he does in Hollywood and around he world, but at heart he's a guy who just wants to be on the farm." So, does he ever miss his sparky days? "My tool kit is still at Mum and Dad's," he says. "I'll go home to visit and sometimes there will be a box of downlights or a couple of ceiling fans in front of the door, and Mum gives me the eye. "I can't really say no, can I?"