It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week ay Light.
Welcome back to TV Reload.
My name's Benjamin Norris and on this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television. Each episode you will get a front row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors and casting agents, plus the talent that we see on our screens. TV Reload reloads the shows that you are currently watching and gives you a better insight at our television industry and streaming services. Today. On the podcast, I have the latest eliminated Master Chef
Australia contestant, Steph. She has been well and truly deserving of her Dessert Queen's status and while she was out on a tiramasue, I think that won't stop us from craving some of her signature sweet dishes. Steph was a fantastic addition to the Master Chef Fans Versus Favorites competition and her exit from the show is proof that this is getting down to the pointy end of the show. Imagine not being able to see or taste what you've
been challenged to cook in a pressure test. We will talk about what's next for her, who she thinks will win, and if that huge Master Chef clock is the root of all evil when it comes to cooking with time constraints. However, let's get started with today's guest. I'd like to welcome Steph to TV Reload.
There are so many good cooks in this competition.
Musta Sheriff has produced some of the biggest names in food.
Oh my god, that is such a tough question.
The first time ever it's funds versus favorites.
It's really sweet that people would recognize me.
This pressure test was unlike the others. You had to rely on your instincts.
I reckon He's the dark force in this competition. He brought so.
Much into this kitchen, and we've loved watching you explore your food identity.
I was like, you know what, let's put my own flare on this.
Hi, Steph, how are you?
Hi? I'm really good.
Well, congratulations on your time in Master Chef. If you will be remembered for your time in the series, what do you think audiences will think?
Ah, that's a Steph moment.
Oh I'm hoping cakes, I'm hoping they'll remember all my desserts. And you know, weird and wonderful combinations like Reggiemi and Misa going together, or making a Japanese sponge cake with three layers in the first kind of elimination round. You know, those were the highlights for me. But I suspect they'll also remember things like my moth's slide, which was actually pretty funny when I look back at it, as well as forgetting vanilla in a brownie, which it's gonna haunt me for days.
You can't even look at people wearing vanilla clothing.
No, no, I think vanilla is going to be dead to me.
You know what's funny?
I feel like in Australia, no matter who you are, we use veggimite and really bizarre things. I put veggimite and spaghetti by spaghetti bolinnaise.
Is that weird? Is that a faux pat?
No?
That would totally work because I put soy sauce in my my bolinnaise.
Making you feel a lot better about it because everyone looks at me like you know, when friends come around and you're still cooking their dinner while they're standing in the kitchen and they're talking to and then you get out veggiemite and smear it into the bolonnes.
You just see this look of complete discuss.
But it would add like a depth of mammy that you just can't get any other way. Like I actually understand the veggimite in Bolines. We actually have a dish in my house where we actually get marmites, which is quite similar to veggiemite, and we put it in a soup and you just mix it in. Have you done that?
No, but I'm going to. That's why we're talking about this vegimite. I feel like it's got other places in my kitchen, you know, And it totally.
Works in a crampat can I tell you about like it works in the custard? It's really say and yeah, just drizzles from some caramel on top, and it's epic.
What people kind hear? Is me adding you on Instagram right now? So we can can take this conversation offline and continue the world of veggimi and where we can put it.
No, I definitely started eploring that, so I never had it before before. The shares don't so don't follow me now. But no, my friend, my roomy Ali found out, and so she got me veggimi and then the first thing I did was put it in an ice cream and it's great, Like, honestly, savory desserts are the way to go.
Okay, I'll take your word for it.
I thought I was outrageous with my spaghetti and now you're telling me to put it in my ice cream? You know? Is the pressure even harder now that you'd branded yourself, you know, something like the cake Queen. Do you wish that you know, you hadn't had that title being given.
To you, you know, I think it was it was kind of that moment where you're like, oh, that's really sweet that people would recognize me as that, Like it's a lovely kind of guest. Yeah, it's a cute nickname. I definitely didn't want it to get to my head there because they never have a lot of cakes. I still don't know, so I still feel like a novice. But yeah, definitely, Yeah, I love that they called me that. But it's something I'm working towards, So that's the goal, right.
I was thinking Kristen Wig and Bridesmaids. I was picturing a little logo of you, like cake baby, you know the have you seen the movie Bride'smaids or am I going on a weird tangent.
I have not seen it in a very long time.
Yeah, she has Kristin Wiggs character in the movie. She has opened a cake store during a recession, but it's this really cute cake store, which obviously she'd taken a lot of pride in. Anyway, we're talking Master Chef, not movies. I've taken on a weird.
No, but like I can imagine myself doing that. I mean during COVID it was so thing to do, right to open the cake shop or to like sell cakes in the middle of like a pandemic. So I kind of get the vide.
Had you actually eaten at Melbourne's Tippo Restaurant and do you think having eaten there was an advantage for people cooking in last night's pressure test?
Oh my goodness. So Tipo has been on my list for forever. I just never been able to get a booking and I can't seem to ever manage to walk in to get a seat as well. So yeah, I mean, it would have been great if I had eaten there, but I think everyone goes there for the pasta. I didn't even realize they had it to miss until Andreas
showed it or talked about it. So yeah, I was actually expecting a pasta pressure test when they said Andreas was coming in, and I was like, what what do you mean when not doing past.
It's the curve ball.
It's the curveball and reality television don't ever expect anything, you know, expecting unexpected.
That's pretty much it. I was just like, ah, doing a pasta today, and then all of a sudden, mel kind of starts wafting on about about cream and like chocolate, and I'm like, wait a minute, this does not sound like a pasta.
Well, Tiramasu has had so many iterations, you know, all around the world. It has taken on different forms. What do you think is like a variant to last night's cook that you would do differently because you're trying to match a dessert someone else's review of a dish, which is impossible, But like, if you were to try and make a signature Steph Tiramissou, how would you make it, Like what would be the change to the format?
Well that was what I did, and that was actually my downfall because you know, I didn't put the I didn't put vanilla in the brownie, but I really don't. I don't necessarily think a dark chocolate brownie needs vanilla because it's a bit of a waste.
Yeah, BRONI was missing that crucial ingredient vanilla, and as a result, it tested all overwhelmingly eggy because the brownie was the foundation of Andres's dish. Unfortunately, that's the reason why you got home today.
And then I actually I made the tempered disk really thin because I thought and what I wanted was that when you poured that hot caramel on top of the dessert, I wanted it to melt the center so that it would pull in the center. And that's why I also didn't fill the cream in the center to the top, because I wanted it to kind of have that wow moment where it would just kind of break open and melt through, so that that would have been a stepf version, and that was what I was aiming for in that cook.
Well, as it all started, you know they had you can't see it, you can't taste it. Is that one of the hardest pressure tests when you have your senses being impaired like that. I mean, you can't say it, you can't taste it, so it sounds like a horror movie version of Master Chef if you ask me.
Yeah, I mean like one of the best things about pressure tests as well is that you actually get to eat a dish you didn't make and you get free food. But we didn't get that, and I think what has happened is I took creative liberties instead of taking the review a little bit more literally, I took some creative I took a yeah, I took a creative brush to it, and I was like, you know what, let's let's put my own flair on this because things are vague anyway.
So yeah, my own spin on a dish. Instead of replicating it, I kind of reinterpreted it, which, yeah, oh well it is what it is. Now regrets with what I played it, Yeah, it was what it was. I've never regret to what I played it because I still think it's a really cool idea. But obviously it isn't what the dish was supposed to be.
This is making me all very hungry stuff. I'm like, I need to eat a Tira missu. It's gonna need to happen in my life very soon. You're probably never gonna look at them ever again.
But I love Tira Missus. I actually make a turium missuit cake and it's just like the layers of vanilla sponge and then you put like mister black coffee liqueur onto it, and then you know, like a like a salted caramel and in between all the layers with coffee cream. I'm like, I love Tira Missu. So yeah, I was kind of bummed about that.
Were you freaking out?
Because I mean, at this point of the competition, when you're in a pressure test and it's Alvin, it's yourself, it's Montana and Billy, was that a lineup of people that made you particularly nervous.
I think anyone in the top twelve would have made me nervous, if I'm to be honest. There are so many good cooks in this competition, and even like some of the people that I loved and respected had left before me, so I knew it was anyone's game, and I knew that the smallest mistake would potentially send me home. Yeah, and that's what has just happened. You know. I love people like Sashi, Ali and Matt and even Harry who
just who was eliminated just before me. Yeah, I love their food, I love their style, and so I knew it was a possibility no matter where I was and who was who I was up against that, yeah, any cook could send me home.
You know what's interesting is that you've had people like Andreas last night, You've had many.
Chefs who are some of the top chefs in our country.
Have you learned more from the chefs that have come in for these sorts of challenges and for the themes, or have you learned more from the people you're cooking up against.
It's a bit of both, because you know, the people that I'm cooking up against, they've taught me how to do the base it's really fast and really quick and home techniques really and what the guest chefs have kind of taught me is inspiration. They've inspired me to be better and to strive for more. So there's a bit
of both. I mean, the guidance that we got from people like Marco Pierre White and the inspiration and even Shannon Bennett where he kind of guided us through the cooks really inspiring, lots of neat tricks and tips, and yeah, I think I've just I'm grateful for the whole experience and to learn from everyone and anyone who was willing to teach me. I am a banking analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia. But you know, I've realized that
I don't have to be this financial analyst. There's another part of me who loves cooking and he loves feeding people. I love making cakes. I love making desserts. I love how it brings joy to people. You know, life is so hard as it is, and when there's a check ends of the day, you know your day is going to be better and it's not cake. It's chocolate. So like, what's better than chocolate and cake?
Yeah?
Cakes? Pretty much? That's me. What's what's not to like?
Well, all the contestants talk about the amount of cooking and sharing of experience that's happened between filming each day. Are you a better competitor at this stage of the competition simply because you know how much time you've spent cooking together.
I think I am because you do learn a lot from each other, and you learn because we're all under the same kind of pressure. You see what works and what doesn't, and you learn off each other in that way as well. But even outside of the Master Chef kitchen, just having the conversations that we had with each other, talking about food and bouncing ideas off each other as well.
You know, we might someone might come up with an idea and they might just want some clvity or someone else's opinion on it, and you find that that refinement really helps. And it definitely helped with some of my cooks trying to figure out how to balance flavor and then just asking people what their opinion is. And yeah, just by sharing that knowledge and having those conversations, I found them really useful and definitely refined myself throughout the weeks I was in the Mastership kitchen.
I keep saying to people that like yourself, the competitors that I've spoken to so far, isn't it amazing that you've met these people like you know, you could ring Julie Goodwin and ask her for some tips in the kitchen, or you'd be able to email Shannon Bennett. You know, some of these amazing contexts that you've been able to establish and they will be able to help you forever. It's almost like being a part of the Avengers now.
Yeah, No, it really has been, Like I can't believe I have a direct line to Julie Goodwin. Honestly, she's such a lovely person. Everyone is just willing to share their knowledge and their experience as well. I actually messaged Dave Pint the other day because I was I just wanted some I just needed some help with a technique in terms of smoking. So he's the guy from burnt In and he responded so quickly and he gave so many tips. This industry is just people like love to
share their knowledge and you just have to ask. Really, and that was one thing I definitely learned was to not be afraid to ask for help or for advice because everyone is just so willing to give it. You know, they might be the head chef of some famous place of a Michelin Star restaurant. You know. Claire Smith was so really generous with advice as well. So yeah, everyone is lovely in this industry. Everyone's really willing to share that knowledge and help out if you just have to ask.
What I really appreciate is the community of master chef. I think that's why Australian audiences like it so much. That we get to tap into your community and we get to sort of feel like we're a part of it. Do you think that that's a part of the reason why Master Chef has been on television in Australia for so long.
I definitely think it is. You definitely see that on TV that people have obviously bonded. That will quite a close bunch, because when anyone gets eliminated, you can see the devastation in everyone else's face. I know I cried in everyone's elimination except my own, but yeah, I was just so gutted to see people go because we got so close so quickly because of the nature of the show and you know, all the pressure that you have,
it is to an extent. I think I used to I laughed when I was an audition that we kind of went through this trauma bonding together. It doesn't sound great, but it was just that joint experience of going through something hard together. I think it really connects people and it brings it brings people close, and you can see that on TV in how we interact and how we cheer people on, and I think that's what people see when they see the show.
Steph, I can't imagine in my life ever laughing at someone saying trauma experience brings people together. But I was giggling then. I'm sure people listening to the podcast are like, he's mad, but all right. And I think that the experience of Master Chef unlike any other competition based reality show.
It is absolutely about the food.
It's not about throwing anyone under a bus, and I think interesting for me, I'm talking to people from other competition based reality shows at the moment and it's just the complete opposite. So I guess that's why Master Chef's at the top of the ratings.
Yeah. No, it's definitely more of a community thing. You know, you're kind of all in this together. It's a shared experience and so you get really close with everyone. It's a celebration of food and different food aspects, like whether you're savory suite, whether it's curry, or whether it's something
more modern as well. There's just so many dimensions to food and so we celebrate all aspects of it, and I think that's what I really love about the show and getting to talk to everyone about it too.
I need to ask you about this clock though I've not asked anyone else yet, but I feel like you're the right person that clock that's in the Master Chef kitchen. How loud is it and how much? How annoying is it? Because I see it ticking as a viewer and it stresses me out. So I just want to know how loud is it, how annoying is it?
You can't hear it. I wish you could, but you can't. And so I also feel like that clock is sporadic because you know, sometimes you're like, oh, I've got time, and then the next minute you know you've only got five minutes to go. So yeah, no, it's huge, and thank god it's that big because as a like half blind,
but yeah, no, it's that clock is scary. And as soon as you walk into the kitchen, the first thing you look at is the clock because you want to know how much time you have left, and you want to know that it's working because and that it's not rigged in some way, because it's, like god, time flies so fast in that kitchen. It's actually not funny.
Imagine if all of you were cooking and looking down at your food, you don't realize that you know, Andy's just got up on a ladder and spun the.
Yeah no, and you wouldn't really you wouldn't notice that as well, because you're so concentrating. You're concentrating on what you're doing. I like, someone might have their food on fire, and I really wouldn't know because I'm just like, I have my own thing to deal with. I block everything out, Like I think there was one time where yeah, something caught on fire and I didn't know and I was like,
what what do you mean that happened? Yeah, So it's been lots of fun watching it as well, because I'm like, oh, I did not realize someone else was having that much issues, that many issues.
Good to know there's no smoke detectors in there going off good tonight?
Well, if there was, that burnt ends one would have just been the constant fire alarm. I think luckily I was next to Dan with no little firefighter.
I'm sure one of those boys would pick you up and carry you out out of the kitchen.
I'm sure you would have been there, and I hope. So can you tell me? Can you tell by now?
Because you've obviously been in the competition for so long and so many people have gone home, and so many pressure tests have happened. You've either been up on the gantry but can you tell by now who the person is going home? Because there's some telltale signs, you know. I don't know whether there's more whispering amongst the chefs
and pointing, or there's sweating a lot or swearing. You know, is there any way for you to be able to tell or is there telltale signs in the kitchen to who's going home?
No, there aren't. And it's probably why pressure tests are like the great leveler, because you can never tell what's going to happen or who's going to have the bad day. It's a yeah. I mean the caliber of cooks in this kitchen is in this season in particular as well, it's just incredible to have small mistakes like to like forgetting to cut your cake your small cake slices in half, or even like forgetting something like vanilla could send you home.
I think it just is a testament to hell, well everyone cooks and the skill and level everyone has in this competition.
Is the competition at this stage just really super hard? Is it anyone's game? Or more importantly, can anyone at this point go home?
Like?
Who do you think is going home? Next?
Yeah? I reckon. Ever since Sashi went I was like, anyone can go home, and that was that just showed the level of cooking that's happening in the kitchen, right, So I thought Sash. Personally, I thought Sashi was going to be at the finals because I was a big fan of him in his season and he's such a good cook and he's such a lovely person too, So when he left, I was like, well, it's anyone's game at the stage, so I'm going to be as surprised as anyone else if one of my favorite people leave.
So if Billy doesn't make it to the end, I'd be shocked. Yeah, God, I can't imagine that. But she's been in a couple of pressure tests before too. It just shows that it's anyone else's game.
Well we've seen so, I mean, just before we move on, I need to say Sashi I thought was going to win the competition again, and mainly because I'm of my own interaction with him, like I buy his products, I am so aware of him outside of Master Chef now, So I just thought the fact that he was back in the competition, and because of my love of him, I thought he's definitely going to be there right to the very end. So that was the Ricky Lee moment. I don't know if you understand that reference.
But oh yeah, oh yeah, that.
Was the Ricky Lee moment of Master Chef for me. And I was just really devastated. But I was grateful to have a chat with him, and I feel like I've told him that I love him in eighties food and that's what That's all that matters. Yeah.
No, I think my number one restaurant for when I go to Alilaide is to go to Gaja because I'm like, I need to eat more of Sashi's food. Probably the one regret I have was that I didn't get to eat enough of this food.
With your friends.
Oh I was. I was utterly devastated when he left, Like it was. It was hard and it was really painful to watch.
We've seen so many great cooks this year. If you had to pick a person that has already gone home to come back for another series, who would that be? I mean, Master Chef does bring people back, and we've seen some amazing fans really this year, like that have really stood out, which is hard to do up against some favorites that have are so recognizable. You know, if you had to pick someone to go back that you think has been the standout performer that's already gone home.
Who would that be?
Oh my god, that is such a tough question because I love all the people who have gone home, like Matt Ali, Harry, mel Jen, God, they were so good, even Max and Chris Ah. But if I had to pick one, you know, it would have to be my roomy. It would have to be Allie. Missus Stona is an amazing cook and the way that she thinks of flavor and combining that with technique and then just bringing her
Scottish heritage to everything as well. It was really cool to watch and I was privileged enough to eat all her food, and yeah, her food is tasty, and she definitely had a lot more ideas and I was gutted for her when she left, So I'd definitely love to see, like, if they could bring her back, that would be great, because she didn't deserve to go, so Ellie.
She also was an amazing communicator. I found like I didn't notice it as much during the show, but when I had the chance to have her on the podcast, I was really blown away with her ability to tell story and to relate to people.
It was actually quite amazing.
It is, and she's got so many stories as well. Yeah, she was telling me how she her husband had worked with Marco in the past, and I was like, what was like that would have been an epic moment if you were there. I love her and I love her food and her style, Like she has her plating as well. It's just always on point and it's always so pretty and you just want to eat it, but then you don't want to wreck it because it's too It just
looks too good. Yeah. I have a lot of photos of her food because it's just it was amazing.
I just want to hang out with her. I want to I want to ring her up and I wanted to be my friend.
Oh she is so fun to hang out with. Yeah, No, she's wild. She loves a martini, so like she will be there with you and she'll drink those martinis and she'll she'll be a blast. She is a blast to hang out with.
I didn't think you were going to make me like her more. But mentioning of the martinis, Yes, this is a hard question for you.
But who do you think is gonna win?
Not what you know, because you might know more, but like who do you think is gonna win Master Chef Fans versus oh Dan?
So I reckon he's the dark force in this competition. He has grown by leaps and bounds since the beginning. I think at the beginning we all thought, what's he doing with that taco territory taco? And then you know he he just loves to learn and he's not afraid to ask for help. I taught him so much and he learned it so fast. In terms of desserts, like I taught him how to make a krempet, how to make a sponge, and he picked it up so quickly,
and he kept trying and trying. And that's the thing, Like he practices so much, and he tries different things, new techniques, new flavor combination. He's working his ass off, and I really kind of admire him for that, because he's refining himself, he's refining his food. He's finding his style as well, which is kind of modern Australian, but even more Northern Australian, which has a little bit more of those Asian kind of flavors coming through it too.
So he's definitely one I would love to see towards the final and I'm just definitely for him.
It's interesting that you say that because a friend of mine, who has worked as an executive at a major network about reality television and has been a part of reality television since it started, said, you know, people that go on the biggest journeys, people who learn the most in front of the audience being Australia watching the show, they are the ones that you deserve to win these shows.
So yes, they probably are some more experienced cooks and you know, probably have been more successful in lots of other ways and be at that position at the start of this competition. But because he has gone on this journey, I think that we feel like he deserves it more.
Yeah, I definitely feel that for him. I mean not just as a friend, because I've just I've been privileged to watch him grow and I think anyone in my position who has seen that growth just admires him for it and just wants him to do so well. So I'm definitely cheering him on for the rest of the season because I think he's got a lot in him. He's got some really cool ideas and I'm hoping he'll pull him out.
I am right there with you and you know something I ask everyone that joins the podcast, is what's something from behind the scenes, something we didn't see that we won't see that you know, it's a bit of a behind the scenes secret from maybe your experience or masterschef.
Oh, behind the scenes, I think it's how much bonding we do offset and the shenanigans we kind of get up to as well. I don't think anything's gonna get shown in that respect I took. If you ever follow my Instagram, I have a lot of behind the scene photos, pictures where we're just lying about, but also of wine nights and karaoke and just us hanging around and chatting
and having fun. I remember one master class we actually had a little dance party before we went in, just because someone brought it in the stereo and had their music playing. Julie Goodwin has an epic playlist to kind of like pump things up and yeah, lots of fun behind the scenes.
Like Julie Goodwin has an epic playlist and whenever she is in charge of the music, it's like, oh my god, this is the best.
Like she should be a DJ, got.
As a backup.
That's a side hush, like I I would subscribe.
Steph is so amazing to be able to have this chat with you. You know, congratulations on your time on the show. As I said at the start, you were fantastic to watch and you know, I think a lot of Australia will be in your audience to see what you do next. If people want to follow you on Instagram. What's your Instagram name?
So it's just my name at Steph boone. Yeah. I'm hoping to make a few announcements in the coming months. I'm just trying to line up a few pop ups and hopefully I'll get to where I want to go eventually, which is to open my own place. So definitely watch my space and hopefully I'll have good news to share. Well.
I'll be sliding into your dams mainly to talk about VEGGIEMI though, to talk about what we're doing with Veggie min Oh.
Yeah, oh yeah, let's let's let's do that because it's definitely an underrated thing, right, it's not just for tost in my opinion.
I agree. Thank you so much for your time. It's been such a fun chat
No worries, Thanks for having me