Andy Allen
MasterChef Australia judge Andy Allen lives, dreams and breathes food. Since winning MasterChef himself in 2012, he has dedicated his life to a curious journey finding the best of the best, and creating his own dishes from those experiences.
Andy was one exam away from becoming a fully qualified electrician, but knowing he wasn’t satisfied with life as a sparky, he took a dare from one of his good mates to enter as a contestant on MasterChef.
“I’ve always had a passion for cooking. Even when I was an electrician, I’d take time after work to cook for whoever was at home – be it my Mum, Dad or two older sisters. Most of my weekends would come to an end hosting a small BBQ for my mates. It took me being immersed in the MasterChef competition environment to realise how much I really loved food. Winning MasterChef was just the start. After I took stock of where I wanted to go with my new career, I realised I had so much more to learn, and I wanted to push myself even further.”
Once on the show, Andy was open to admitting he was by far the most inexperienced and weakest cook amongst the group. So he took it upon himself to learn as much as he could from everyone around him. He read, researched, watched and listened – treating every moment as a learning opportunity.
After an eight month commitment away from his friends and family on the nation’s most celebrated culinary apprenticeship, he emerged the youngest winner of MasterChef with a growing thirst to learn as much as he could about food.
Andy has continued his learning, throwing himself at a range of new challenges, from becoming an author to working full-time at his bustling, hatted cafe Three Blue Ducks. Andy has also started a YouTube channel, travelled to some of the food meccas of the world and even ventured into personal catering. The sum of this experience landed Andy the prestigious position of MasterChef Australia judge in Season 12, commencing next year – making him the perfect host for Farm to Fork.
Courtney Roulston
The youngest of six, from a small farm in Kellyville. Taking her inspiration from Margaret Fulton’s cookbooks, Courtney’s passion for food evolved as she experimented with home cooking in the family kitchen.
Courtney’s success in the kitchen first started as a popular contestant on Series 2 of MasterChef in 2010. Since then, she has shared her passion for reinventing the humble salad in her very own book – promoting exciting dishes, using fresh, healthy ingredients.
Courtney continues to be a great influencer in the food industry. Her many accomplishments include head chef for the Sydney Swans Football Club, an ambassador for Coles, running her ever-growing catering business, and appearing at the Food and Wine Show around Australia.
Michael Weldon
Michael hails from South Australia. An Adelaide boy at heart – Michael’s culinary tastes can easily take you on a journey from fresh food, small unique restaurants, boutique wineries and farms.
As the MasterChef 2011 runner up, he quickly became a popular and entertaining personality within the food industry. His love for cooking has only grown since this experience.
Successfully running catering companies, working as head chef, hosting cooking demonstrations, and being proud ambassador for Coles, Michael is a valuable member of the Farm to Fork team.
