Celebrity chef Adriano Zumbo reveals plans for Queensland expansion

Four years after the collapse of his dessert empire, a reinvigorated Adriano Zumbo is starting from the ground up on the Sunshine Coast

Celebrity chef Adriano Zumbo is ready to grow his Sunshine Coast dessert business, admitting it took four years to mentally recover after the collapse of his dessert empire.

After first appearing as a guest chef on season one of MasterChef in 2009, as a 26-year-old pastry chef, Zumbo gained popularity and went on to star on his own series Zumbo’s Just Desserts – meanwhile building his dessert empire to open 11 stores across Sydney and Melbourne.

But Zumbo called in administrators in 2018 and every store was closed down, leading to a move to the Sunshine Coast, where he went through a “break phase”.

“I was dealing with all the legal stuff and all the things that come with having a business go down,” he said.

Adriano Zumbo for MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites’ Adriano Zumbo Pressure Test. Photo: Supplied/ Channel 10

“I was trying to get my mojo back, to put it into place and have a desire to use it.”

“It took me until last year. I just worked casually at a friend’s bakery and odd jobs just to get by, until I got that itch again. That hunger. And that was late last year. The pandemic was kind of good for that.”

Early this year Zumbo (above) opened his first Queensland business, a solo venture called Zumbo Test, at Noosaville.

“For me it’s more about concepts. I just wanted a playground – somewhere I can make stuff I want to make. There’s no real pressure to grow a big business again,” he said.

“It’s another beast trying to do both (cooking and business). I’m sticking with where I’m stronger, which is coming up with ideas.”

“It’s all up in the air. I’ve got this little place now where I can make those things and we will grow on that. Once we can build a team we can take that to the next level.”

Celebrity dessert chef Adriano Zumbo has opened a patisserie at Noosaville, Zumbo Test. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Ready to return to the spotlight, Zumbo will appear on MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites on Tuesday, where he will host another popular Adriano Zumbo Pressure Test.

“It was just good to get back on set where I started,” he said.

“I’ve started this little business here (in Noosaville) and if I look back 12 or 13 years ago, it was kind of the same story. I got this call and it all changed. It feels like that again.”

Zumbo said he felt the pressure to come up with new and interesting creations in the world of social media, but said taste and texture would never be replaced by aesthetic.

“If it excites all the senses when you’re eating it you don’t forget it. You always remember those moments. If it looks pretty it’ll be a moment for 10 to 20 minutes,” he said.

MasterChef continues on Monday at 7:30pm on Channel 10.