MasterChef Australia 2024 winner Nat Thaipun has a warning for any home cooks applying to be on the show for 2025: it’s harder than working in a commercial kitchen.
And if there’s anybody who would know, it’s Nat. She’s just finished a stint in London working alongside Jamie Oliver in one of his restaurants, before working with Clare Smyth at Core.
Even with what we’ve seen on culinary shows like The Bear, Nat is convinced it’s hotter in the MasterChef Australia kitchen. Considering that even just watching The Bear gives me second-hand anxiety, I can’t imagine what she’s gone through.
“The level of stress that you put yourself into – people dismiss it. It’s hard enough as it is to not only be presentable on TV, [but] the cooking part is so hard,” she tells PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“No one ever talks about the anxiety… we struggle to sleep, and we have long days as well.”
MasterChef Australia isn’t all fun and games OK!!! (Image: 10)
She goes on to describe a “high-stress environment” due to pressure she placed on herself, which is a far cry from the fun and joyful cook-ups we often see play out on our screens.
“It feels like you’re in an actual kitchen with that amount of pressure, I dare say, a harder environment than a regular [commercial] kitchen,” she adds.
A spokesperson from the Masterchef Australia production team shared that though the kictchen can be a “tough environment” there are measures to make sure all contestants can shine!
“We have systems and protocols in place to provide wellbeing support to contestants both physically and mentally throughout production, and beyond. Over many years, MasterChef Australia has proven itself a successful launching pad for contestants to chase their culinary dreams,” they told P.TV.
After working with top chefs overseas, she mentions how impressed everybody was by her ability to adapt to the way a commercial kitchen works.
“A lot of the restaurants… they’ve been like, ‘I’m surprised by how fast you work’ or ‘how well you can do under pressure’. You don’t realise how much pressure we were under on MasterChef, and people don’t realise that, especially chefs,” she explains.
Nat recently worked with Jamie Oliver in one of his commercial kitchens. (Image: 10)
It sounds like she wouldn’t have traded her MasterChef Australia journey for anything though, as she’s had so many foodie doors opened for her. In particular, her trip to London to work with Jamie – which was part of the prize for winning the first immunity cook – has lit a fire underneath her.
“It sounds really cheesy, [but] it’s made me really hungry. I want to go in the kitchen now, I want to learn more and more. It was just so amazing, Jamie is just so supportive and nurturing as well,” she says.
“I feel like I’ve ignited something in my heart.”
I have a feeling that Nat is gonna go on to be one of those iconic MasterChef Australia cooks who stay in the foodie space for years to come. Couldn’t have happened to a better contestant!
Feature Image: Network 10
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