On last night’s nail-biting episode of MasterChef Australia, Larissa Takchi made history when she was announced as this year’s winner of the popular Network Ten cooking competition.
But it turns out the 22-year-old aspiring chef came dangerously close to quitting the series on multiple occasions. Speaking to 10 Daily, the restaurant manager said she became “paralysed in fear” after struggling to prepare her dessert dish, a Szechuan pavlova with beetroot.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Larissa celebrates her win backstage with friends and family
“There were so many points in that cook, and you can probably see it on my face that I just wanted to walk out,” said Larissa who defeated Simon Toohey and Tessa Boersma in the finale. “I was literally about to walk out, it was in my head, my face said it all. I was literally stepping towards the front to walk out.”
Moments away from throwing in the towel, Larissa said words of encouragement from her family— who were watching from the gallery— helped her through the difficult time.
“My family was sort of just right there in the corner and they were all just screaming at me like, ‘Don’t you dare, don’t you dare!'” she said.
Reminiscing on her win, the fan favourite said that although she never expected to take out the title, she has big dreams, and plans to use her prize money wisely.
“I am hoping my restaurant is up and coming by then. Originally I wanted to do a wine bar restaurant, and I will be doing that very soon in my mum’s café, opening up dinner there. But I think I’ve got another dream which will be a long-term goal for me,” she told TV Week. “I want to buy a block of land in Dural and establish a restaurant there, so people can have that farm to table dining experience.”
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