Brother and sister duo among those cooking up for new MasterChef show
A FORMER Home and Away actress and her brother are among the contestants in the newest season of Masterchef, which hits TV screens on Sunday.
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FOUR hopefuls, including a brother and sister whose family have run popular Chinese restaurants, are among Sydney’s contestants on the new season of MasterChef.
The hit show returns on Sunday night, with judges Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris ready to give the contestants a grilling.
Siblings Jimmy Wong and Theresa Visintin will battle it out in the kitchen for a place in the top 24.
Their parents ran peninsula restaurants Golden Singapura in Brookvale, Wong’s in Dee Why and Kim Sang in Collaroy.
Mum Anna, who still lives in Forestville and the pair’s late father Steven Wong – famous for his karaoke singing – were at the helm at the restaurants. But unlike many MasterChef hopefuls, they don’t dream of opening their own restaurants, after seeing how it took over family life.
“You realise it’s a seven-day grind,” said Mrs Visintin, 44.
“It meant I didn’t have my parents around.”
Meanwhile, the pair said there will definitely be some sibling rivalry on the show, but “not in a nasty way.”
“It’s going to be a harsh journey,” Mrs Visintin said.
She was an actress, appearing in Home and Away and other Aussie soaps, after being spotted in a shopping centre.
She even played Dieter Brummer’s girlfriend, but now lives in Canada with her family incluiding three children. her husband is working on the Trump Tower in Toronto.
Other locals, Anastasia Zolotarev and Brian Tam, also beat thousands to make the TV auditions. Anastasia was inspired to start cooking by her mum Elena – who lives in St Ives – and would once forage for mushrooms and berries in Belarus, before the family moved to Australia.
She said she thinks Sydney’s northern beaches has so many talented chefs, because of the relaxed lifestyle.
This year’s season will also have celebrity chefs make guest appearances such as British TV chefs Marco Pierre-White and Nigella Lawson.
Details: MasterChef, 7.30pm Sunday–Thursday on Channel Ten.
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