Former MasterChef star Sarah Todd lines up for the Australian Open

After conquering the tastebuds of her massive fan base in India, MasterChef favourite Sarah Todd has her eye a potential return to the cooking show after its three judges made a shock exit.

Popular MasterChef graduate Sarah Todd says she’d be keen to get involved in a revamped version of the show if she got the call.

Todd, a finalist in MasterChef in 2014, told Confidential: “I feel very thankful about being on the show. If there was any opportunity to be a part of it (in 2020, of course, I would say yes.

“That said, I’m still learning and working hard on my own projects. It will be interesting to see what happens on MasterChef next.”

Channel 10 and MasterChef judges Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan parted ways after pay talks broke down last week.

Ten is said to be considering an all-star version of the show in 2020 featuring past contestants having another shot at the title.

Former Master Chef contestant Sarah Todd is part of an all female chef line up cooking in the AO Chef Series at the Australian Open in 2020. Picture: David Caird

In the meantime, Todd will be part of an all-female line-up of food icons at the Australian Open Chef Series in 2020.

Todd will join food stylist and author Donna Hay, Franklin head chef Analiese Gregory and Thai chef Duangporn ‘Bo’Songvisava, where each will host two lavish dinners during the Grand Slam tournament.

Todd divides her time between Australia and India, where she has three restaurants.

“It’s amazing that people are recognising female chefs in the industry, and it’s great that the Australian Open are putting a limelight on women,” Todd said.

Todd, a French-trained chef built a winning reputation of MasterChef for her Indian dishes. That translated to a massive fan base in India, where MasterChef Australia is a top rating show.

Sarah Todd on MasterChef in 2014. Picture: Channel 10.

“When those episodes aired in India, my social media went crazy,” she said.

“I got 50,000 followers overnight. I thought it was spam.”

Todd decided to go to India to see if her online popularity was real. She landed and was recognised everywhere she went. She did cooking demos, appearances, and five years ago opened her first restaurant in Goa.

Since then, Todd has opened restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi, shot five television shows, and released a cookbook.

“In the beginning, it was challenging, and everyday was a big learning curve. Some days, I felt like giving up,” she said.

MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN MASTERCHEF PAY DEAL

COULD POH BE MAKING RETURN TO MASTERCHEF AS A JUDGE?

On one particularly difficult day, a small group of teenage diners asked a water if they could meet Todd. When Todd approached their table, the teens, who had driven six hours to eat at her restaurant, burst into tears. They told Todd she inspired them to have a chef dream.

“It was like a wake up call,” Todd said. “It was like, ‘You idiot, it’s not about you anymore.’ I’m inspiring young girls who want to do big things.”

At the Australian Open, the four chefs will create a degustation menu at The Glasshouse.

The dates are:

Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava, January 20 and 21;

Sarah Todd, January 22 and 23;

Donna Hay, January 24 and 25;

Analiese Gregory, January 26 and 27 January.

For more information about the AO Chef Series, call 1300 309 166 or email [e-mail]