Foodies rejoice! MasterChef Australia is back for another season and if you thought last year’s All Stars were skilled, be prepared for even more greatness with the class of 2021.
WATCH BELOW: Meet the 2021 MasterChef contestants
Beloved judges Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen and Melissa Leong are back as judges and say that this year’s contestants are the best yet.
“I think it’s going to be the best food. Even with Back To Win,” Andy admitted to WHO on the red carpet at the 2020 AACTA Awards.
“I think we’re very short into the season but if these guys are cooking like this now, imagine what they’re going to be doing in 60 episodes. It’s crazy so we’re excited with that.”
The judge and season four winner added: “They’re raw, they’re very passionate, they’re very willing to learn and I think that’s what I think excites us the most. It’s going to be a really good season.”
Now, the top 24 contestants for the current season have been announced and we can finally get to know these talented stars.
Keep scrolling to meet the top 24 batch of the 2021 cooks.
Aaron
Born and raised in Adelaide, Aaron has a love for native ingredients, herbs, and spices which he uses in his savoury dishes.
The 34-year-old also has a love for fishing, which also comes through in his skills with seafood.
Amir
Hailing in from Victoria, Amir has a love for Middle Eastern flavours.
The 30-year-old hopes to one day open a cooking school for men.
Brent
31-year-old Brent hopes to one day be able to travel around the country in a campervan.
He also hopes to teach people how to make quick and easy meals and inspire others to find their love for food.
Conor
Conor has a love of traditional Greek cuisine, and the 27-tear-old merges the techniques with ingredients and flavours he picked up during travelling the world.
Conor hopes to one day open a sandwich deli named Sit Down Dora after his mum and a hidden bar named Shut Up Mike after his dad.
Dan
Drawing from his mum’s Guangzhou background, Dan’s Chinese-inspired dishes always have a little signature touch to them.
Depinder
Depinder is a self-taught baker with a passion for pastry and desserts.
The 29-year-old is inspired by Indian and South East Asian flavours and hopes to one day write a cookbook that shows her love of fusion cuisine.
Elise
Hoping to one day own a farm-to-table restaurant on a sustainable property, Elise has a love of cooking for large groups.
With her Italian and Sri Lankan heritage, Elise, 28, is constantly inspired by food.
Eric
Eric originally auditioned for Junior MasterChef a decade ago, when he was at the age of 10.
While he didn’t quite make the cut back then, Eric, 21, is ready to join the big leagues and dive into the competition.
Jess
Describing her cooking as “explorative, creative and generous”, Jess’ background as a landscape architect and urban designer.
Her career has inspired her to create fun dishes with bold flavours from cuisines all over the world.
Justin
Having cooked from an early age, Justin has always been inspired by seasonal produce and traditional Indian flavours that he grew up eating.
Katrina
Born and raised on a berry farm, Katrina had a passion for food education.
The 25-year-old’s cooking also is centred around a paddock-to-plate ethos.
Kishwar
Hoping to inspire her children, Kishwar hopes to write a cookbook full of the recipes that have been handed down to her by her family.
Linda
Inspired by the heritage of her parents, her Laotian mum and Chinese-Cambodian dad, the Linda has grown up embracing South East Asian food.
She hopes to one day open a food truck that embraces those flavours, offering up bento boxes that give people a taste of multiple dishes at once.
Maja
Maja, was the owner of a pop-up market stall that specialised in boutique seafood sausages.
Now entering the MasterChef kitchen, Maja hopes to one day convert a vintage Airstream trailer into a pop-up dining experience.
Minoli
Minoli has spent her life growing up in the kitchen, learning traditional recipes from her.
The 34-year-old hopes to open her own pop-up restaurant with a focus on Sri Lankan fusion cuisine.
Pete
Tattoo artist Pete is hoping to show off a different kind of artistry when he enters the MasterChef kitchen.
Self-taught, Pete, 36, has a love of classic cuisines and, through his extensive travels, has sampled fine dining restaurants across the globe with his wife and daughters.
Sabina
With a passion for meat and seafood, Sabina hopes to one day own her own restaurant in her home of Tasmania where she’ll be able to highlight sea to table cuisine of her own.
Scott
Hoping to one day open a cooking school and patisserie, Scott hopes to live out his food dream of combining his passions; food, design and education.
Therese
0Therese, 31, wants to bring her Taiwanese and Burmese heritage to the table with savoury flavours and hopes to one day start a line of pre-packaged dessert boxes and Asian-fusion noodle sauces.
Tom
Inspired by his grandmother, who came to Australia from India, Tom has an interest in Indian cuisine, but his travels across the world have introduced him to many food cultures he takes inspiration from.
Tommy
Inspired by his mum’s home-cooked meals, the Tommy celebrates his Vietnamese heritage by recreating the recipes his mum taught him.
Tommy hopes to one day combine his loves of food and travel, documenting food cultures from across the globe and sharing them with the world.
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Trent Vu
Hoping to one day write a column for a food magazine, Trent’s creative approach to sweets will be paired with the foundations of cooking he learned from his mum growing up.
Wynona
Wynona, 27, is ready to show off the skills she’s learned through the years and her extensive travels across Europe.
YoYo
2This year’s youngest competitor, Yonina – aka YoYo – isn’t just skilled in the kitchen, but she’s mastering six instruments.
She’s also a second-year medical student, so there’s nothing she can’t accomplish once she sets her mind to something.
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