Laura Cassai, 19, is the youngest contestant to make it to the top three of MasterChef Australia
GET familiar with this face South Australia, because you’ll see a lot more of Laura Cassai, 19, who is the youngest contestant to make it to the top three of MasterChef Australia.
GET familiar with this face South Australia, because you’re about to see a lot more of it.
Laura Cassai, 19, is the youngest ever contestant to make it to the top three of MasterChef Australia.
If the McLaren Vale teen can survive one last elimination against fellow finalists Brent Owens and Emelia Jackson, she will battle it out for the winner’s title in Monday night’s grand finale.
Growing up in Templestowe, Victoria, Laura moved with her family to McLaren Vale last year.
The move came shortly after the death of her cousin, David Cassai, who was aged just 22 when he was allegedly king hit during a New Year’s Eve brawl on the streets of Rye.
“My cousin David was a big inspiration for me, even before he tragically passed away,” Laura says.
“He was always so passionate about life and his attitude to ‘get sh*t done’ was half the reason I applied.”
Laura’s achievement follows a time of darkness following the news of her cousin’s death, which she describes as “one of the worst days of my life”.
“At first I didn’t want to believe what I’d just heard,” she says. “I can’t even describe it; heartbroken isn’t a strong enough word.
“David and I had a very close relationship ... he was like an older brother to me. He had a golden heart and always had the time of day for everyone he was around.”
Laura, who has deferred a Bachelor of Health Science degree at Flinders University for the reality TV show, plans to use her new profile to raise the awareness of ‘coward punches’.
“I’ve already been supporting foundations such as ‘Step Back. Think’ and ‘One Punch Can Kill’,” she says. “Now I can help shed more light on the issue and remind people that a split second decision can have tragic lifetime impacts on the victims’ families.”
While SA has a good track record in reality cooking shows, the last South Australian to make it to the finals of MasterChef was Michael Weldon in 2011, who came runner-up.
The last, and only, SA winner was Adam Liaw in 2010, who won against fellow South Aussie Callum Hann.
Laura was no doubt underestimated at the beginning of this year’s series, as a then 18-year-old.
But her consistent cooking and flair for Italian flavours, have continued to impress the judges and put pressure on original favourites, which included 24-year-old Emilia.
Laura says she feels confident ahead of tomorrow (Sunday) night’s elimination.
“I always back myself,” she says. “I’m ready for it and refuse to give up so close to the end.”
Whether or not she wins the MasterChef trophy, Laura’s looking forward to reuniting with her family back home, including parents Anita and Sandro, sister Natalie and younger brother Aidan.
“We’re such a tight-knit family and we’re so, so supportive of each other,” she says. “It was a bit hard going through this whole experience in the MasterChef house for so long. But that’s where my MasterChef family comes into it.
“I’m lucky to have had the support of all the other contestants the whole way through the competition.”