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NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
MasterChef Australia: NZ contestant Ben MacDonald talks about life after elimination
'I went there to win, there's no doubt about that. Certainly got pretty close, disappointed that I didn't make it all the way – but also [I'm] really proud of how far I went and happy to be home,' he says with a laugh. 'It was a very long season.' In his bid to join Depinder Chhibber in the final four, along with contestants Laura Cassai, Jamie Fleming and Callum Hann, McDonald had to create what the judges called a 'spectacular one-bite wonder'. Setting the scene, guest judge and top Kiwi chef Vaughan Mabee of the globally acclaimed Amisfield restaurant in Queenstown showed off his fantastical selection of one-mouthful winners that looked like they came straight from the world of Harry Potter. The Whangārei-raised Aucklander is a father of two. Photo / TVNZ MacDonald then created his own magic: chicken wings stuffed with whitebait mousse. The wings sat on top of a seaweed and parmesan tuille, with chicken liver parfait underneath. Topping it off was a drizzle of chive oil emulsion and some caviar. As a bonus, the whitebait was local; Mabee brought it with him from New Zealand. But, compared to the other creations, it failed to charm and was criticised as having 'too many things going on'. The Whangārei-raised Aucklander was sent packing. On the show, MacDonald admitted small bites weren't his style. 'You can only squeeze so much flavour into one mouthful ... whilst the whitebait was in there, it was never meant to be a whitebait dish. It was just supposed to add sweetness and a bit of a change of a layer of texture as well. I think the other dishes on the day were just more concise and better.' Mabee says he was gutted about it, too. 'Ben had a huge amount of talent and his dish was great – it just had too many elements and the focus went away from being a great dish,' he tells the Herald. Ben with judges Jean-Christophe and Andy. Photo / TVNZ '[It was] tasty, yes, but it just wasn't the best dish that day. I was sad to see the Kiwi leave. What an amazing guy.' But MacDonald isn't fazed by the defeat, perhaps because he doesn't view it as such. 'At the end of the day, my life's not going to be measurably worse if I don't win MasterChef. 'I was trying not to put too much pressure on myself right from the start. I was there for the experience. I was there to learn. And I just knew that if I went in and did my best every day, I would never be disappointed.' The highlight of the experience was winning the immunity pin and cooking along with Gordon Ramsay in the second episode. 'It was just a crazy challenge because you had no idea what you're making, you're just following along with Gordon Ramsey as best as you can. 'So stressful, so busy, and just doing it all and mine ended up coming up the best.' The 47-year-old chef previously competed on season six of MasterChef Australia, where he finished sixth. Photo / TVNZ He says the biggest thing he learned from the experience was 'how much you can learn from other people'. 'It was such a collaborative kind of supportive environment, and it was just really surprising where you could pick things up from,' he says, adding how at one stage Chhibber taught him how to make paratha 'properly'. 'If you're open to listening and sharing, I think it's just quite amazing what you can take on.' MacDonald has no hesitation when asked who he wants to win. . 'I think Jamie would do the most with it, and I think it would really change his life,' he says. As for what's next, MacDonald says there are a few things in the works. As well as preparing for and competing in his first marathon in Queenstown in November, he's focused on sharing with foodies 'delicious dishes people can cook themselves' on his social media. 'I'm going to try to put some personality into it and make it relatable and most of all achievable,' he says. MasterChef Australia: Back to Win airs on TVNZ and TVNZ+. Varsha Anjali is a journalist in the lifestyle team at the Herald. Based in Auckland, she covers culture, travel and more.
NZ Herald
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
MasterChef Australia Back To Win: Kiwi contestant Ben Macdonald returns to compete for second time
His passion has always been cooking, and now was the time to give it another go at claiming the crown. 'I had so much fun last time. I immediately wanted to do it but couldn't see how I could possibly make it work,' he told the Herald. 'My partner and the kids were so excited by the opportunity that they sort of encouraged me to do it, and they made it happen with their support'. Following season six, Macdonald worked in Brisbane restaurants before returning to New Zealand in 2017 where he continued to manage kitchens, including a stint at Westhaven's Buoy. He also set up a catering business with Ben's Kitchen and a successful food delivery service during the Covid-19 pandemic, eventually returning to his IT roots. 'Now I'm running my own payroll software company, which I've done for the last couple of years, mainly for family reasons, to be honest, so I can see my kids, because hospitality is hard'. There has been no shortage of trials and tests in Macdonald's life, something the Whangārei-raised Aucklander openly believes helped him grow as a person and helped in his career path. Before he appeared on season six of MasterChef, Macdonald was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, spending six months in and out of hospital followed by a further three years of treatment before entering remission. 'It's a big part of who I am, for sure. I think in general that gives me a quite a calm disposition in terms of I don't get so worried about little things. 'I find it relatively easy to focus on what's important and let the small stuff go away. When cooking in the kitchen with huge amounts of pressure, being focused is massive, and so I think it really helps'. He recalls early culinary memories of making baked apples and baked flounder with his grandma, and also memories of his dad, who encouraged him to see the world through a love of food. 'It probably started with my dad being a great cook. He was always cooking food from other parts of the world, be it, you know, paella or a curry or something. 'There was always this interest in food and travel, because there's a way you could travel without having to get on a plane: to eat things from other places'. Macdonald has since travelled the world, sampling various cuisines and refining his culinary tastes while working. 'I was just always allowed to [cook], and I was encouraged to do it, and I think that just continued on into life. I spent pretty much 20 years travelling and working overseas from when I finished university until when I got back to New Zealand'. Back home is somewhere Macdonald also credits for his growth as a chef. 'We're just spoiled in New Zealand with the quality of the produce and the fact that all those places do different things. 'I guess it's nice too to see lots of new openings too, particularly in the city, and the food scene is definitely kind of on the up at the moment'. Analysis, thought processing, and planning were things Macdonald said have helped him in his software career and, in turn, helped him in the grander scheme of the MasterChef competition. 'I think having a clear mind, being able to think fast, and having a strategy is a big advantage,' he said. And this season, quick thinking will be especially handy as he's up against other past contestants. Some are even back for round three. 'There's no time to, you know, jump in with the training wheels on and get used to it. Everyone's right on the deep end right from the first day,' Macdonald said. 'I'm just trying to cook the best thing I can cook every single time, no matter what the challenge is. There's no time to save dishes for later, or to sort of coast through because you'll end up going home'. But as the nation watches, it's not the pressure or the intensity that Macdonald believes is the ultimate key to success. 'Have fun. I think that's the main thing. You've got to try and enjoy the experience, and there's no point doing it if it's just cooking. Cook food that you love to eat and cook food that represents you. 'That's what I'm trying to do, and hopefully it'll get me all the way to the end'. The new season of MasterChef Australia - Back To Win airs on TVNZ+ from May 5.
