"I had them in my pocket, and then I just started carrying them - I started using them. And I was like actually this works for me, and then that was it really. I always had them," he tells New Idea.
The beads quickly became a talking point when fans started to notice them while watching him on MasterChef, but Jock reveals that from the production side of things, people didn’t really know what to think of it at the start.
In fact, the beads became somewhat of a nuisance, where Jock was told that "the bead things" were a bit noisy, and they were causing audio problems.
"I still had them, they were in my pocket a lot, sometimes they were in my hand, but the camera certainly never focused on them at all," he says.
But then COVID happened, and Jock says his anxiety levels went "through the roof", because he had Restaurant Orana in Adelaide to worry about, and his wife was pregnant with their second child together.
"It was a troubling time for everybody, and certainly for me, and then I just started having [the beads] in my hand the whole time," he says.
That's when Jock told the audio department that they needed to find a solution so that he could use the beads during filming, to help ease his anxiety.
"Now they’ve allowed me to be me and use them which is great because it helps a lot," he says.
Outside of the studio, Jock says that nothing dials back his anxiety like spending quality time with his family.
"Rolling around in the carpet, playing with LEGO or cars with the kids or whatever - that for me definitely reduces my anxiety," he says.
"I think it's a super effective tool and I don’t know if that’s because you feel more love and everything at the time and that’s what helps."
Jock shares two children with his wife Lauren Fried, a three-year-old son Alfie and an eighth-month-old daughter called Isla.
The 44-year-old is also the father to two teenage girls, Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages.
Reflecting back on his life and everything he's been through, there is no doubt that Jock came out on the other side with many life lessons.
"There’s no question, it’s been tough. I’ve had those extreme highs and extreme lows in my life as well as in the kitchen," he explains.
He adds that despite his best efforts to "ruin my life" outside of the kitchen, Jock has been fortunate enough to have had both mentors and kitchens to direct his career and keep it really focused.
"Food is like an anchor for me, it's always been there so no matter how tough everything got outside of the kitchen and in my life and how chaotic and manic and the pitfalls.
"I’ve always had that food to draw me back to real life. So I’m super lucky to have found food really."
Jock's relationship with food evolved over the last few decades, especially once he started to go out to communities in Australia, which also changed him as a person over time.
"It just changed my outlook, it changed the way I thought about myself and people and the country and culture," he says.
Working with native Australian ingredients is something Jock has always tried to bring a spotlight to, and it's something that has been highlighted on MasterChef.
Just recently, the contestants undertook quintessential Territorian bush food cooking using Australia’s native ingredients, which showed viewers how to incorporate these ingredients into everyday cooking.
It also highlighted the incredible culinary experiences available to book on their next trip to the Red Centre.
