As a coeliac disease sufferer, you’d think vivacious MasterChef contestant Zee Tana might not stand a chance in the gruelling competition. But the gluten-intolerant, self-described optimist is made of stronger stuff than many realise, and it’s all thanks to three very special women in his life.
Given to his grandmother in a whangai adoption when he was a baby, Zee grew up in Northland among a huge extended whanau. He says his late grandma, Eileen Tana, mum Michelle Clark and auntie Linda Terry are the people who made him who he is today.
“I grew up with a lot of strong women around me,” Zee says with his trademark grin. “I was whangai adopted, which is adoption without legality. My mum and dad were really young. They had their own lives to pursue, so my grandmother didn’t want to give me back.”
Zee (26) grew up under the watchful eye of Eileen, who had 13 children and was always in the kitchen cooking. He credits her with teaching him the tricks of the trade. “It was like she was running her own commercial kitchen!” he says. But he also forged a strong bond with his mum Michelle.
“Mum’s incredible. I’m so close to her and I always have been. When I was living with my grandparents, I knew exactly who my mum and dad were and what they were to me. It was just like having two mums. “My auntie Linda is in Australia now, but she was like an extra mum too. I was so lucky!” he says with a smile.
It’s with the support of his family that Zee revealed he was gay when he was 21 years old. “I don’t think I was fooling anyone,” he laughs. “They were so supportive of me. When I came out, no-one really cared. They just asked, ‘What’s for dinner?’” With his quiet, self-assured manner, Zee says he’s proud of who he is today and has taken that confidence into the MasterChef kitchen.
“I’m just me. I am who I am. It’s not like I walk into a room and yell, ‘Hey! I’m here and I’m queer!’ But if people ask, I’ll tell them.” While he’s got a lot on his gluten-free plate as the heat turns up in the competition, Zee maintains he’s used to life’s challenges. But having coeliac disease in the MasterChef house means he’s had to sacrifice his health.
“I don’t want to make a big fuss of it,” says Zee, whose body is unable to process gluten. “I’m trying everything – the pastry, the muffins – it doesn’t matter if it has gluten in it. “It’s not that I don’t want to be different – I’m probably different enough – but I don’t want it to be a problem any more than it is already.”
The uncomfortable stomach cramps, nausea and extreme tiredness that follow eating gluten are a small price to pay, Zee says, for carrying on in the competition, and he’s perfectly happy with his limited food palate, except the loss of one of his favourite vices – beer. “Man, do I miss beer!” he says wistfully. “Cider’s my new poison, but it’s not the same.”
With the glass firmly half-full of cider, Zee says he up for the challenge of MasterChef, no matter what floury delicacies it might offer. “Nothing is going to stop me in this competition!”
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