She might not have won MasterChef NZ, but after the final, fan favourite Alice Taylor’s dream came true when judge Michael Dearth offered her a job at his top Auckland restaurant Baduzzi.
However, the former University of Otago politics student has now ditched Michael for his fellow judge Vaughan Mabee, accepting a position as pastry commis chef at his acclaimed Queenstown eatery Amisfield.
With judge and former boss Michael.
“I really did start work at Baduzzi two weeks after filming MasterChef and I haven’t looked back,” Alice, 23, tells Woman’s Day. “I’ve learnt a lot, had heaps of fun and become a more resilient person. It’s completely changed my life.
Alice plating up at Baduzzi.
“Vaughan always said that once I got training and was ready to come to Amisfield, the opportunity was there. Then one day when I was at the gym, he called me. It turns out it was an accidental dial, but thank goodness because five minutes after chatting, we were talking about me coming to work for him!
“It’s the best restaurant in the country, and an exceptional opportunity to grow as a person and a chef, but I was quite anxious about telling Michael. Luckily, he’s a good friend and was happy for me. I’m incredibly grateful for his support. I really feel I made the most out of MasterChef and I’m so proud of that.”
Meanwhile, winner Sam Lowe, 31, is now fronting TVNZ 1 food show Sik Fan Lah! and runner-up Elliot McClymont, 28, has sold his gin company to start a food-truck business called Roaming Flamingo, which will see him and his wife Sam dishing up tacos across Auckland.
Sam has turned his talents to TV.
He tells us, “MasterChef showed me my future had to be based around food and I love tacos, so I wanted to dip my toe in the water. Sammy and I used to run a high-end restaurant together, so we know our working dynamic well. She’s been so supportive and I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Going places: Elliot and wife Sam run a food truck.
