MasterChef
is a series which brings together people from different walks of life to
compete using their culinary talent. One of the contestants of this year’s
Season 6 of MasterChef Australia, Sarah Todd, was recently in Goa. She visited Park
Hyatt Goa and presented guests a special selection of her signature dishes,
paired with exquisite Australian wines. She also conducted a culinary class especially
for men and attended a cake mixing ceremony at the resort.
Having
been to Delhi, Mumbai and Goa, Sarah was amazed by the colours of India. “It has
been an amazing journey; I started off in Delhi, before going to Goa. My
partner, Devinder, is from India and I wanted to visit the country. I was there
for a short while but I would love to go back later for a longer break,” says
Sarah, a model and mother of three-year-old Phoenix.
Though
Sarah’s experience with cooking started much earlier, she started cooking more
and more when Phoenix was born. “As my partner loves to cook as well, it became
a passion of mine. I saw the audition requests for the show, and thought it
combined my current work s a model and my future passion as a chef,” says
Sarah.
Though
she faced elimination, Sarah was given a second chance in
the cooking show after winning a Mystery Box Challenge against 13 other
previously-eliminated contestants. That new lease allowed Sarah to experiment
different cuisines with a dash of Indian flavours, wooing the judges along the
way.
Using a
lot of Indian spices for her dishes, Sarah has learnt to blend Australian and
Indian flavours, with fennel seeds being her favourite spice. “Fennel seeds are
my favourite because it is palate cleansing, refreshing and adds depth to a
meal,” she adds. In Goa, Sarah really enjoyed the Goan fish curry.
This trip to India is in no way Sarah’s
first. At the age of 18, Sarah was discovered as a model and has been
travelling the world for her fashion assignments. “That is a great part of travelling, absorbing
the culture. I love French food, Indian food and Australian food,” says Sarah.
Being a model, she felt it didn’t affect her performance on the show., “Everyone
gets judged no matter what their story is. However, I made great friends in Sam Gant and
Kira Westwick.”
With the show now behind her, things
have surely changed for this 27-year-old model. “My work life is now based around cooking. If I’m
not cooking, I’m writing recipes to cook.” Sarah is also inspired to cook for Devinder
who loves cooking, and Phoenix, who loves to eat. “Every day I want to keep
learning and growing, and eventually have the skills to open an amazing
restaurant,” she concludes.
