Being a master chef was not Andy Allen’s dream growing up
From solving world hunger to listening to Led Zeppelin and dealing with the tragic loss of Jock Zonfrillo, MasterChef Australia judge Any Allen reveals what makes him tick.
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Restaurateur and MasterChef judge Andy Allen admits it was tough dealing with the loss of Jock Zonfrillo, and why he still carries the injury of his professional basketball dream.
Andy Allen
Age: 37
Suburb: Northcote, Victoria
How would you describe yourself?
I would say I’m pretty easygoing, hardworking, and positive.
How do you think others describe you?
That’s a hard one to answer. I never really think about it. I would like to think the way I perceive myself is the way others see me. I would hope people think I’m loyal. Even looking at the Three Blue Ducks, I’ve never worked in another kitchen so I think that shows my loyalty!
What is most important to you?
My family and my wife. I’m hoping one day I’ll have a family of my own with Alex, which will be nice. Food is definitely up there, and enjoying life is extremely important too. It’s something that I’m trying to do more of because I work hard but I also need to stop and smell the roses. There’s no use working if you’re not going to enjoy your life.
What is the last thing you read, watched, ate, listened to?
Read: Lauren Zonfrillo’s new book, Till Death Do Us Part.
Watch: A game of AFL.
Ate: This is a bit of a funny one, but veal schnitzels.
Listened: Yesterday I was listening to Led Zeppelin on the way to work.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A professional basketball player.
What has been the hardest hurdle in your life?
Jock’s passing.
If you had one wish, what would it be?
I’m cleaning my pool right now, so I really wish someone could come and do it for me. It’s so annoying and it takes so long. I feel like I just turn around and there’s more dirt in there.
Tell us a secret. What is one thing people may not know about you?
People would never know I wear a clip-on wedding ring.
What has been your proudest moment?
Coming back to MasterChef Australia last season, because I didn’t think I could do it.
What has been your toughest period?
Dealing with the loss of Jock, especially that two-week period after he passed.
What do you wish we could do more about? As in an a problem facing the world?
The global hunger crisis. I always so feel guilty when I’m eating something nice and I know there are so many people starving out there. We try to do our bit at The Ducks. Sustainability is such a buzzword, but at the Three Blue Ducks we really live and breathe it. Not just in our restaurants, but in our homes too. It’s so important to us.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
To be able know what people are thinking. It’d make life so much easier … But then it would probably make life harder too … Honesty is such a big thing for me and I would love to know if someone was being honest or not. Hopefully the good would outweigh the bad!
What is the kindest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I love to hear compliments from my loved ones, so I think it would just be when Alex or my family tell me how proud they are of me. I went through such a time where I thought they were just saying things and not meaning it. I don’t know if it’s growing up and actually being able to reflect, but when they say positive things I actually take it in and appreciate it now. I’ve never been good at accepting compliments but I think it’s really important to learn, because if you get better at accepting compliments, you get better at giving them and better at communicating in general. Being in the public eye doesn’t make accepting compliments easier or harder, but there are so many false compliments out there you need to get better at sifting through all the rubbish to get to the realism.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would go back in time and get my finger fixed when it happened, rather than just popping it back in myself and now having to have a clip-on wedding ring. If I could, I would go back and get it fixed straight away so I don’t have this big lump on my knuckle. For context, I broke my finger playing basketball. My wedding ring finger was literally at a 90-degree angle overlapping with my pinky, and I just put it straight back in and never got it fixed. And now I’m stuck with this ugly ring finger that has a clip-on wedding ring attached to it.
Andy Allen is a Judge on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win, airing Sundays at 7pm, and Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play
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