Brent Draper has won the coveted and globally popular cooking competition, MasterChef Australia’s 2023 Season 15. The announcement was made after a grueling two-round finale, where Draper defeated fellow MasterChef Australia contestant Rhiannon Anderson by 11 points. “This is a big win but it isn’t just for me,” Draper wrote in a post on social media. “Honestly it’s for every single person who backed me, who reached out and shared their hard stuff and stories with me, it’s for all those who never gave up.”
In the post, Draper thanked the MasterChef Australia judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen, and also paid tribute to the late Jock Zonfrillo: “And to the man who’s been the most influential for me on my food and mental health journey, Jock. I’m gutted you’re not here mate and that we won’t get to have a scotch and celebrate this together - but just know that this win is for you. Thank you for the legacy you’ve left behind, for the memories and laughs and just know that you’ll never ever be forgotten in our home.”
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To say that Draper’s journey has been extraordinary is an understatement. Originally a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2021 (Season 13), Draper had chosen to leave the competition after realising that the pressure was getting to him and taking a mental toll. Walking out to prioritise on his mental health, Draper returned this year with a bang and proved just how much working on yourself actually pays off.
“I had everything to prove coming back,” he told 10Play in an interview after his win. “I also wanted to come back and show the judges the growth I had done… I had a lot to prove.” And prove he did, not only with his incredible barbecue dishes cooked on the hibachi grill, but also some occasional desserts. In fact, the winning dish for Draper was the recreation of renowned pastry chef Amaury Guichon’s pocket-watch dessert.
So, what’s in store for Draper now that he was won the MasterChef Australia title? Draper has revealed that he will be working on releasing a barbecuing cookbook aimed mostly at men and their mental health. “Within the cookbook would be stories of people and their mental health battles and their recipes,” he explained. “I just want to merge those two things because, as males, we don’t tend to talk to each other face-to-face, but if there was a barbecue going, and we're just turn some snags, there’s a bit more opening up there.”