Darrsh Clarke might have wowed the MasterChef Australia fans with his show-stopping desserts, but it’s his deeply personal journey that is defining his Back To Win experience.
“For a long time, I repressed my Sri Lankan culture just to fit in,” confesses the Perth-born chef. “But MasterChef showed me how much people appreciate it. Now I’m proud to share those flavours.”
That pride extends to honouring his late father, a restaurant chef who inspired Darrsh’s own love of cooking.
“He was creative and visionary – he’d tell me not to be bound by society’s expectations,” shares Darrsh, 33, adding that his dad’s signature crab curry remains his most cherished memory.
“I wish he could see me now, leaving my desk job to chase this.”
Since moving to Melbourne, Darrsh has found an unlikely surrogate family in his new flatmates, last year’s MasterChef winner Nat Thaipun and fellow contestant David Tan, who came 13th in 2024, while Darrsh placed sixth.
“Nat blasts music at midnight and I’m up at 6am, trying to get to the gym, so we’re constantly waking each other up,” he laughs.
“It’s chaos, but apart from that tension, we share lots of stories and it’s the most fun house to live in.”
Of course, Melbourne’s vibrant food scene has completely won him over since his move from Perth, where he represented Western Australia in basketball and volleyball.
“The people here are so friendly and progressive,” he gushes. “I love how everyone’s just keen to have a good time. It’s such a creative city. I’ll be here for a very long time.”
Although he admits to experiencing homesickness and missing Perth’s beaches, he’s found his peace in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens and with walks along the Yarra River.
With his heritage as his compass and his housemates as taste-testers, Darrsh is ready to prove he’s more than just “the dessert guy” – he’s playing to win!
MasterChef Australia: Back To Win screens on TVNZ 2 and streams on TVNZ+.
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