'I'm definitely living my dream'

Aiming high

Jimmy Wong was always headstrong in the ‘MasterChef Australia’ kitchen. Even though he had the best Panna Cotta in the elimination challenge with Nigella Lawson, he had to hang his apron and go home for a bad lamb dish.

However, he has kept his food dream going by making his favourite dishes for others.
He chats with Anila Kurian about his life in the ‘MasterChef’ kitchen and the culinary world.

Your most memorable moment in the ‘MasterChef Australia’ kitchen.
It was when the judges tasted my dish during the audition. It was a rush presenting the dish to them where they loved and criticised it. It’s a moment that I will cherish throughout my life.

What was your reaction when your sister, Theresa Visintin, was eliminated?
I was obviously devastated that she was eliminated. We cried for a while but we picked ourselves and started cooking. We knew this wasn’t the end for us and cooking what we loved was just the way to get
over it.

If given a chance, a dish you’d like to recreate in the ‘MasterChef Australia’ kitchen.
I would like to recreate the lamb dish that I was eliminated for, just to prove that I could have done it. But I’d also like to present a few other things that I’ve been working on, like a ‘Jaffa mousse’.

Your food dream.
My dream has always been to eat delicious food and prepare and celebrate the dishes. ‘MasterChef’ gave me a platform to showcase that and I’ve been following that dream even now. I’ve been partaking in workshops and talks. I’m definitely living my dream.

An all-time favourite dish of yours.
I love all kinds of pasta because it’s simple, versatile and delicious. If I had to pick a type of pasta, it would have to be  bolognese pasta.

Your motto that you follow in the kitchen.
My motto is to ‘push boundaries’ so that flavours and the presentation will be the way I’ve imagined them to be.

Three things that we don’t know about you.
(Laughs) Firstly, I love staying in my pajamas until 1 pm. Second, I love eating out as much as I love cooking. Finally, I get very excited whenever I have to go to the market.

Your favourite ingredient to work with.
This might sound bizarre, but I love working with cream. It has so much versatility
that I can make butter out of it or to make a creamy mousse.

Your funniest moment in the ‘MasterChef Australia’  kitchen.
When there were pressure tests, it would be chaos in the kitchen. That’s when the camera would want a reaction, so I would make them run around with me to tell them how I feel.

A dish you will never attempt to make and why?
While I think this is a great concept, I don’t think I’d like to enter the world of molecular gastronomy.

Any pet peeves? 
Indecisive people. They ruin everything and it’s very annoying to be around them.

(‘MasterChef Australia Season 8’ airs at 9 pm weekdays on Star World and Star World HD)