‘Rocked to the core’: Colin Fassnidge reacts to Jock Zonfrillo’s death

Fellow chef and TV host Colin Fassnidge has shared his reaction to the shocking sudden death of Jock Zonfrillo.

Chef and TV presenter Colin Fassnidge revealed his phone hasn’t stopped ringing since yesterday afternoon when news broke of MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo’s death.

“You don’t realise how close the hospitality community is, and they’re just rocked to the core, they’re shocked,” Fassnidge told Nova FM’s breakfast program, Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie.

“He’s a loss to the industry and the TV industry. The whole world of chefs yesterday just stood still in the afternoon and was in shock.

“Yesterday was one of the biggest eye openers, actually. When this happened, I got so many calls from so many people. It’s not me, you know what I mean? I’m actually all right. I’m in shock but everyone is like, ‘Are you OK?’.

“The chef world sort of looks after the chef world.”

Zonfrillo’s death, at 46, was announced by Channel 10 on Monday afternoon, hours before the new season was due to premiere that day, which has now been postponed.

He was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room after police conducted a welfare check at 2am. The death is not being treated as suspicious.

Jock Zonfrillo has died, aged 46. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for AFI

Fassnidge, who said he had known Zonfrillo for 20 years, opened up about the pair’s relationship, and the conversations they’ve had about the pressures of working in food and TV, two intense industries.

“I’m the sort of guy that’s pretty glass half-full,” he explained. “I know Jock had his little worry beads and he spoke about it. I spoke to Jock about it before, when he left restaurant land and went into TV land.

“Sometimes it’s seen as you sort of sold out, there was a lot of that, that went on. And I’d spoken to him about that, going, ‘Mate, we’re doing a job, and it is a high-pressure job.’

“It was very emotional last night watching his young kids on the TV. That’s the worst. A lot of our life is on the road in hotel rooms, you’re not home and you don’t see your family. I sort of mirror his life a bit. I’ve been home two or three days in two weeks.”

Fassnidge revealed that when he heard the news of Zonfrillo’s death, he called his My Kitchen Rules co-star and fellow chef Manu Feildel, who he described as his “work wife” because they had spent so much time together on the road during production.

Colin Fassnidge said he’d known Jock Zonfrillo for 20 years.

He also sent messages to Zonfrillo’s MasterChef co-hosts Melissa Leong and Andy Allen. “Even our MKR team are in shock because we all work together,” he said. “Everyone always says we’re rivals or whatever, but, mate, even though the TV team are two different teams, we’re one big family.”

Fassnidge said he called Zonfrillo at the start of every season of MasterChef to wish him luck and to give him some good-natured ribbing about Zonfrillo’s sartorial preference for waistcoats – “Because I was the one who set him on the path of wearing waistcoats.”

The Irish-Australian chef, who recently opened a new bistro in Sydney called The Castlereagh by Fassnidge, also reminisced about a time when they both ended up dancing on the bar during a night out in Adelaide, but also shared that when they both had to prepare a dish for a function, while Fassnidge was “on the whiskey”, Zonfrillo stuck to drinking water.

Zonfrillo’s death sent shockwaves around Australia and further afield. Tributes came pouring in from colleagues including Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay.

Jamie Oliver were among those who posted tributes to Jock Zonfrillo.

The Scottish-born chef ran awarded restaurants before his TV career, including Orana in South Australia, where he championed native ingredients. Orana was declared Australia’s best restaurant by Gourmet Traveller and the Good Food Guide.

His family’s statement said, “With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday.

“So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time, we’re too overwhelmed to put them into words. For those who crossed his path, became his mate or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.

“We implore you – do please let us grieve privately as we find a way through this and find space on the other side to celebrate our irreplaceable husband, father, brother, son and friend.”

Zonfrillo is survived by his wife, Lauren, and four children.

Originally published as ‘Rocked to the core’: Colin Fassnidge reacts to Jock Zonfrillo’s death