There is a frisson of nervous excitement in the air on the morning that WHO joins Poh Ling Yeow in the kitchen on the Melbourne set for the 2024 season of MasterChef.
The seasoned cook puts the lucky chosen few through their paces as she takes charge while filming a mystery box challenge.
As she flits from one workbench to another, dipping a spoon into a range of delectable dishes to taste, and chatting with the competitors as the clock counts down, Yeow appears as cool as a cucumber. But, she confesses, appearances can be deceiving.
“It’s such a whirlwind of emotions,” Yeow tells WHO of her newly elevated role as a permanent judge on the series. “I feel incredibly grateful and thrilled to be trusted with this role but I’m also terrified.”
Her return is “a full circle moment” for the beloved TV personality who first endeared herself to audiences during the inaugural season of the hit reality cooking show back in 2009.
“As a competitor in Season 1, reality TV was still not a big thing, so it was unnerving to walk into such unknown territory – but you could be chaotic,” she explains.
“As a judge top-of-room, I have to be composed and not too much of a goofball. And there’s a great deal of responsibility involved to make the right decisions on elimination days.”
The new batch of 22 contestants, who are all hungry to succeed, could have no better role model to look up to than Yeow.
Since her initial foray into the kitchen, she has penned several cookbooks, opened a gourmet pastry stall at the Adelaide food markets and fronted multiple food and travel TV shows.
She has also been invited back to MasterChef several times as a guest judge and mentor. After so many achievements, it’s easy to forget she didn’t win, placing second behind Julie Goodwin.
“[As a judge] I feel I offer a unique kind of empathy, not having ever won,” she explains. “I’m pathologically competitive so I played hard and having an obsessive personality, I’ve analysed all the reasons why over the years, so I understand the pitfalls.”
The judging panel has been given a big revamp this year with Yeow and fellow newcomers, food critic Sofia Levin and French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, joining Andy Allen.
“I adore all of them,” Yeow says. Jean-Christophe is a gentleman, incredibly quirky and very French. Sofia and I know each other so well now our brains feel conjoined and we often finish each other’s sentences, and Andy is the younger bro I never had.”
The shake-up comes following the sad and unexpected death of Jock Zonfrillo at just 46 in April 2023.
But the Scottish chef is certainly not forgotten. During a stroll around the MasterChef gardens, blossoming with herbs, flowering fruit trees and fresh produce, WHO comes across a bench sitting in a peaceful corner with an inscription dedicated to Zonfrillo.
His loss is not the only one that Yeow has felt in recent years. Her mother Christina also passed away in November 2022. The loss spurred Yeow on to embrace every day, especially since hitting her milestone 50th birthday late last year.
“I feel like there’s no time to hesitate or ruminate,” she explains. “Especially since losing Mum, I find the silver linings without effort. I like myself and feel comfortable in my own skin. I like that all the mistakes are fermenting into wisdom and I’m OK with life being full of paradox.”
Thanks to a scheduling conflict with Dessert Masters, Melissa Leong is sitting this season of MasterChef out. The food critic had quickly garnered a reputation as the fashionista of the show. In each episode, she showed off a super stylish collection of Australian labels.
It is a void that Yeow quickly fills. On the day of our visit, she stands out in a colourful matching coat and dress by Leo Lin, while her co-stars blend in with their matching dark suits.
“Coming from a design background, I love fashion,” Yeow says.
“I grew up with a fashion-obsessed mother. I love how it can transform your confidence and be incredibly expressive but I don’t believe that it should define you.
“I know a lot of wildly talented people who couldn’t care less about clothes. I appreciate good tailoring and design but it’s not a life value.”
Still, she feels it is incredibly important that she flies the flag for Australian designers in the series, which isn’t just a hit locally but has a loyal fanbase overseas in places like the United Kingdom.
“We have such an abundance of talent here, I see it as a responsibility,” Yeow says. “The designers we are showcasing this season are sensational. Every day I walk out of wardrobe with a grin on my face. It’s fairytale stuff to be able to wear such beautiful clothes every day.”
While she is taking full advantage of the on-set stylist, Charmaine De Pasquale, and seemingly endless wardrobe department, there is one area where Yeow insists on doing it all herself. The former professional makeup artist does her hair and makeup before filming.
“I always do [mine] myself no matter what because it’s what I did for a career back in the day and I feel I know my face best,” she explains.
While Yeow mightn’t have known what she was getting herself into all those years ago, everyone who applies as a contestant now does. The level of skill has become so great, it’s hard to believe they aren’t chefs.
“This season has brought the standard to a level that’s very impressive but still relatable, which is where the original magic existed,” Yeow says. “I’m very excited.”
MasterChef premieres on Mon., Apr. 22 at 7.30pm on Network 10.
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