District Court told celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo ‘evaded’ process servers at MasterChef set at Melbourne Showgrounds

Celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo repeatedly avoided attempts to serve him with court documents while he was judging Junior MasterChef, it is alleged.

Court documents were taped to the MasterChef studios because judge Jock Zonfrillo evaded attempts to serve them, it has been alleged.

A company owned by Adelaide landlords Theo and Steve Maras is suing the former Adelaide-based celebrity chef and a business partner, Shaun Lau, over the collapse of an East End wine bar, Mallozzi, in 2019.

Rundle East Pty Ltd is seeking damages from Zonfrillo and Lau, claiming it is owed $224,000 in unpaid rent and other costs.

The company’s lawyer last year obtained special permission to leave court papers involving the case outside the MasterChef set at Centenary Hall in the Melbourne Showgrounds.

In an affidavit, Cowell Clarke special counsel Symoane Mercurio told District Court Judge Jane Schaamer process servers had unsuccessfully tried several times to serve the papers on Zonfrillo.

Adelaide celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo on the set of Junior MasterChef at the Melbourne Showgrounds. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Mercurio said the first attempt was in July, 2020, at a property owned in the Adelaide Hills by Zonfrillo and his wife, Lauren, but a process server had found it was unoccupied.

“I was (then) told Zonfrillo was employed as a judge for the Channel 10 series, Junior MasterChef, and filming was taking place at Centenary Hall at the Melbourne Showgrounds” said her affidavit.

Ms Mercurio said Zonfrillo had been present at the MasterChef set last August when there were several attempts to serve the court documents but he “refused to meet with the process server”.

Inquiries found Zonfrillo was active on Facebook and Instagram at the time a Melbourne-based process server, Dean Holland, was attempting to serve the court documents.

“The process server made three attempts at service at the Victorian location,” said Ms Mercurio’s affidavit.

“On each occasion, service was unsuccessful.

“The applicant (Rundle East Company) has therefore made four attempts in total at service and believes that the First Respondent (Zonfrillo) is evading service.”

Jock Zonfrillo (centre) with fellow MasterChef Australia 2021 judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen. Picture: Network Ten

Jock Zonfrillo (centre) with fellow MasterChef Australia 2021 judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen. Picture: Network Ten

According to Ms Mercurio’s affidavit, an email had been sent to his personal account by Rundle East Company several months earlier which did not bounce back.

Ms Mercurio later sent a letter to Zonfrillo’s email account detailing the various attempts which had been made to serve the court documents and asking if he would accept them.

Zonfrillo did not reply.

She also wrote to a business consultant previously engaged by Zonfrillo asking him to send the court documents to him.

According to the affidavit, other letters were sent to Zonfrillo’s wife and to a charity they operated together, the Orana Foundation.

These also were not acknowledged, the court heard.

Jock and Lauren Zonfrillo on their wedding day. Picture: Instagram

Jock Zonfrillo promoting his range of worry beads. Picture: Tira Smigielski

Ms Mercurio asked Judge Schaamer last September for permission to tape an envelope containing the court documents to the front door of the MasterChef set, which was granted.

In his statement of defence, Zonfrillo disputed owing Rundle East Company any unpaid rent, saying it already had taken $52,250 from a personal bank guarantee he had given.

He also said Rundle East Company had seized $28,400 worth of assets, furniture and equipment when it took possession of Mallozzi in July last year.

Zonfrillo said he had spent $45,000 out of his own pocket refurbishing the Rundle St property where Mallozzi operated.

The matter is expected to be listed for trial in October.