Whether he’s dangling from a construction site in the 50ºC heat of Dubai or facing fire from the judges on MasterChef, Ben Munro has never been afraid to put himself in the hot seat.
But while skyscraper heights are enough to get most people shaking in their boots, the former construction worker says the most trying thing about being on the show is being away from his partner of 14 years – and wife of six – Naomi (32) and their kids Jack (3) and Tyson (1).
“Tyson’s had his first birthday and taken his first steps while I’ve been away,” Ben (31) says. “I’m the only father on the show, except for Al [Markham], whose kids are grown up. It’s all right for those other guys who don’t really have anything they’re missing.”
While MasterChef offers Ben the opportunity to pursue his dream of being a chef, he says leaving his business – relatively new – weighed heavily on him. He and his family had only opened their luxury lodge, Matauwhi Bay Manor in Russell, for a matter of weeks when he left for the MasterChef house, but Ben hopes winning the show will put his lodge on the map.
“Probably the biggest thing is getting our name out there,” says Ben, sitting on the porch of the sprawling property overlooking the Bay of Islands. “My head is probably back here sometimes on the show.” After surviving the bread challenge, Ben, who is more outgoing than he comes across on MasterChef, says he thinks his ability to adapt to change will help him.
He’s lived in Australia, Singapore, London and the United Arab Emirates, where he and Naomi spent the past eight years. As a child he attended 13 different schools as his family moved for work, but Ben’s keen for his kids to have a more grounded childhood. “I want them to see the world, but they need stability. It’s very important for knowing who you are as a person,” says Ben.
It was Naomi who gave Ben the push he needed to hang up his tool belt after years of working in construction and follow his passion for cooking. “Ben has lots of ideas, but doesn’t necessarily always think he can do it,” says Naomi, who first met Ben on the school bus in her home town of Perth.
“For his 30th birthday I enrolled him in a cooking school, which was a bit mean because he was working six days a week and it was on his only day off!” Ben says he also learned a lot from his mum Diane, who in turn learned from her mother, Marie, who worked as a cook. Ben wants to pass on his enthusiasm for cooking to his own kids.
“I know Tyson is still young, but whenever I’m in the kitchen he’s at my feet pulling out pots and pans. I think as he gets older he’ll be keen to help,” he says. “At the moment Jack only wants to cook the things he likes to eat – pizza and pancakes.”
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