Judges
Chef Heather Jeong
With over 20 years of experience in Australia, and known as the Kimchi Master, Chef Heather Jeong is a renowned Korean food expert, TV chef, food writer and culinary instructor. She has appeared on SBS, SBS Pop Asia, The Cook Up with Adam Liaw, Food Safari, Sunrise and KBS Korea, as well as a celebrity chef in various food festivals.
She has showcased and taught Korean cuisine at Korean Cultural Centre, Korean embassy, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Powerhouse Museum and Good Food and Wine Show and TAFE NSW. She was also one of the main cast members of the critically acclaimed production Double Delicious. Heather has a deep passion for food and has travelled across Australia to promote Korean cuisine.
Heather's Winning Tip:
Heather advises you to be original, but not just for the sake of it; the food ultimately has to look and taste good. Let the ingredients sing; sometimes, simple plating is more elegant. Pay attention to food pairings; some things just taste better together. And most importantly, have fun and enjoy the love of cooking!
Chef Mod Pittayarat
Chef Mod was the head chef and manager of the Chili Padi restaurant in Melbourne. Then a sous chef for the Marriot Hotel in Bangkok, and now has his own catering business in Australia, wherein he personally cooks for you at your home, combining traditional Thai with modern culinary methods. Also, he is a recipe development chef at OMI Group Australia. He is an expert in the various Thai regional flavours. Chef Mod is also a regular on Channel 10's My Market Kitchen and The Cook's Pantry.
Mod's Winning Tip:
For Mod, his idea of a winning dish is to keep it simple! It needs to strike a balance between all flavours. At the end of the day, Mod believes that there are no strict rules about incorporating Asian flavours into your cooking, so long as it makes you happy.
Chef Leslie Chan
Chef Leslie Chan has over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, and he first began his culinary journey and training as a chef in Hong Kong in the world-renowned Peninsula Hotel and the opening team member of Hong Kong Disneyland before returning to Melbourne permanently in 2006. In Australia, he has worked at prestigious establishments such as the Sofitel Hotel and Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club and has taught a range of cookery courses including Asian Cookery and Commercial Cookery at Holmesglen TAFE. Chef Leslie also worked at RATIONAL Australia as Corporate Chef and the most loved and biggest sushi retailer "Sushi Sushi" as Head of Food Innovation and training.
He is also a professional competition chef, boasting over 15 gold medals from prestigious International and National culinary competitions. Currently, Chef Leslie works as Director of CLC Hospitality Consulting for restaurants and is the General Manager for Hi Sushi Group at Geelong.
Leslie's Winning Tip:
Leslie suggests that you should be confident in your cooking and show your passion, inspiration and love in your food. Be innovative and prepare well in advance, using fresh ingredients, the right tools and equipment, and strive for the balance in colour, taste and texture of the dishes.
