Jess Butler chasing her food dream on MasterChef

A MELBOURNE woman has given up her dream nursing job to chase another dream on Channel 10’s cooking reality show MasterChef.

JESS Butler has put her nursing career on hold to throw everything at making it on Channel 10’s cooking reality show MasterChef.

The Brunswick East woman was urged by her husband, Andrew, and the rest of her family, to audition for the show, but it meant scrapping a different dream.

MasterChef contestant Jess Butler.

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“Last year I was considering going travelling and my husband told me ‘you don’t have to apply this year but you have to next year’ and he sort of held me to that,” Ms Butler said.

“People say there’s no perfect time to have kids, well there is no perfect time to apply for MasterChef either.

“I gave up my dream nursing job which was definitely tough, but I have got a committed personality and I just told myself that this is the real deal.”

A fan of organic food, Ms Butler wowed the judges in the televised audition with a Japanese inspired savoury dessert featuring beetroot sorbet and matcha-flavoured panna cotta.

The MasterChef contestant’s long-term goal is to open a venue in regional Victoria to showcase home grown and locally sourced food, but is open to change while she develops her skills on the show.

“I guess it’s an idea from growing food and appreciating how food is grown and how it is sourced and the way we produce what comes to the table,” Ms Butler said.

“It’s not about getting screen time; I went on the show to be able to improve my food, work out what I love to cook and have an amazing experience.”