Anthony Minichiello’s mum and sister to star in Plate of Origin
He’s used to his family cheering him on when he played footy but now former rugby league star Anthony Minichiello will be supporting his mum and sister — the contestants who will represent Italy in new cooking TV show Plate of Origin.
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Anthony Minichiello was used to his family cheering him on from the sidelines as he starred in the State of Origin — but now the roles are going to be dramatically reversed.
The former Roosters, NSW and Australia star rugby league star will be the one supporting sister Michelle and mum Teresa as they attempt to win Plate of Origin.
Channel 7’s cooking competition kicks off on Sunday and the Minichiellos will certainly be one of the teams to watch, although Michelle revealed their mother — whose Instagram page Mother Teresa’s Kitchen has a huge following — had no idea about it.
“Mum didn’t know I had entered us and I didn’t think anything of it, but next minute we got a call back to say we were on the show,” she said.
“Mum had no idea, she probably wouldn’t have done it without me pushing it.
“Mum’s experience in the kitchen and having cooked since she was a kid will give us an edge. We have a bit of a laugh and a bit of fun as well. We will be cooking with love.”
But Minichiello has no doubt who will win, revealing his mum’s skill in the kitchen almost saw him become a chef, not a footy star.
“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a cook or a chef because we always watched mum in the kitchen and I was fascinated by it,” Minichiello said.
“The Italian culture is all about growing your own food and cooking at home and I just loved it.
He grew up on two hectares complete with vegetable patches, farm animals and fruit trees as well as an Italian mum who loved to cook.
However, after moving out of home at age 18 to pursue a career as a NRL player meant all his mother’s hard work went out the window.
“Living on my own I had to learn how to cook pretty quickly and there were definitely some disasters along the way,” he said.
“I got my first injury and was eating out and consuming crap all the time. After I got injured four years in a row I realised food plays a massive role in recovery and restoration in the body.
“I reconnected with how mum fed us as kids started healing my body from the inside out again.”
Plate of Origin, which is hosted by Manu Feildel, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan, will see 10 teams from across Australia battle it out in the kitchen.
Teams will cook side-by-side with two countries going head-to-head in each episode.
Plate of Origin starts Sunday August 30 at 7pm