While Matt says he regularly tries out dishes on the kids he works with, Luke uses his own young family as guinea pigs.
“I spend lots of time cooking with my wife, and practicing different techniques,” he says.
It was Matt’s idea to apply for the show, but both believe their strong friendship will stand them in good stead during the competition.
“Luke and I have never had an argument about anything. There nothing I dislike about the bloke,” says matt.
Luke concurs: “Matt and I are really calming influences on each other,” he says. “We both trust each other to do a great job of whatever our jobs are.”
They know that what they lack in practical experience they can more than make up for in enthusiasm.
“Luke and I knew coming into this [that] we weren’t the best cooks in the competition, but we wanted to be the hardest working,” says Matt. “So far we are doing that, and are getting better every cook
“My biggest strength in the competition is my trust in Matt and our ability to stay calm under pressure.”
While Luke is happily married, Matt describes himself as “hopelessly single.”
“We call Matt ‘Hollywood’,” Luke laughs. “He’s got the hair, he’s got the eyes, he’s got the guns… I’d date him!
“But seriously, it means so much to be doing this with my mate. We love cooking together.”
“Anything that we’ve ever done in our lives we’ve been really competitive, whether it be on the cricket field or now in the kitchen,” says Matt. “We hate losing and we have a real competitive edge that will benefit us in this competition.”