Judges

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.

Lillie Giang is a passionate chef, educator, and sustainability advocate who has dedicated her career to making healthy, flavourful cooking accessible to everyone. She has built a reputation as a dynamic cooking teacher and chef presenter. She shares her skills at her cooking school, food festivals, community classes, and foodie events.

Lillie is also deeply committed to environmental sustainability. She continues to grow in food sustainability initiatives and founded her charity, which uses rescued food to feed vulnerable communities. Her cooking demonstrations always incorporate environmentally mindful tips, helping others reduce food waste and embrace sustainable practices in the kitchen. A lifelong learner, Lillie embraces the philosophy that she is "a forever student," never stopping her pursuit of knowledge and growth in cooking and sustainability. Her culinary philosophy is simple yet profound: Food is an adventure, and the flavour is the destination. Through her work, Lillie aims to empower people to cook and eat and contribute to a healthier, more sustainable world.

With an impressive career spanning 28 years running restaurant operations for five-star hotels and RACV's Melbourne City Club, as well as being the former president of Les Toques Blanches, holding the role of member of the Australian Culinary Federation and Australian Institute of Technical Chefs, and Wagyu ambassador for Japan's Gifu prefecture and Yuzu ambassador for Kochi, Japan. Mark Normoyle's insights and experience in the culinary field is highly respected and sought after.

From an award-winning chef, Mark has expanded his horizons, becoming a food tour host and in recent years, becoming a guest chef for several prolific events. One such event was to host a challenge in Australia with original Japanese Iron Chefs Hiroyuki Sakai (Iron Chef French) and Kenichi Chen (Iron Chef Chinese). The Japanese Tourism Board sponsored event was a success with Mark earning the title of Iron Chef Australia. Mark has since been invited to appear at numerous events with the other original Iron Chefs at Tokyo Disneyland, The Sydney Opera House, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Rockhampton. In recent years Mark was Executive Chef and owner of Luna's Food and Wine Bar on the Esplanade in St Kilda, is currently consulting in Australia Asia and beyond and is the National Executive Chef for Anchor Food Professionals Oceania.