Brent Owens, the winner of Season 6 of MasterChef Australia, was in India recently to promote the seventh season of the smash-hit competitive cookery format. Since the win, the 25-year-old former bobcat driver has released a bestseller cookbook called Dig In and interned in some of Australia’s top restaurants. 
A t2 chat…    

How’s your India trip been so far?

It’s been very, very, very busy… I haven’t had a chance to see anything much of India. I wanted to visit the Taj Mahal, but I guess that is for another trip. On the positive side, what I have been doing here is pretty cool. 

What have you been doing here?

I have been doing a lot of promotional campaigns for the launch of MasterChef Australia  Season 7 in India. It will start airing soon on STAR World Premiere. I have been travelling between Delhi and Mumbai doing a lot of interviews, a lot of food shots and tastings…. I have been cooking a lot and that’s what makes me happy (smiles).  

MasterChef Australia is very popular in India. How have fans been reacting to you here?

It’s huge… it’s been overwhelming. There have been so many people here who have recognised me on the streets. Honestly, I had no idea that the people here were so hooked to MasterChef Australia, much more than the Indian version (smiles). It’s pretty cool, actually. I knew that people here loved the show, but I was taken aback about how much in detail they remember each episode. Some of them even remembered what I had cooked in every episode of the show. I don’t remember all that myself! (Laughs)    

Have you tried your hand at making any Indian food on this trip? 

I have definitely tried a lot of interesting food, especially kebabs and biryani and a spicy Goan prawn dish that I hope to go back to Australia and make. And boy, I loved the pani puris… they are just little balls of total delight! (Laughs) Indian food is something that I haven’t really cooked much of, but this trip is going to change that. I am taking back some of your lovely spices and sauces (smiles). And yes, I think dosa and idli are the ultimate comfort food. When I come back to your country again, I do want to visit the coffee plantations in the south. 

How did MasterChef Australia change the chef in you?

Before the show, I was a total amateur. I used to make a living as a bobcat driver, but food was always a passion. Just being on MasterChef opened up the world of food for me and winning it means that I now also have the resources — financial and beyond — to realise my food dream. MasterChef changed my whole perspective of how I approach my food… when in the kitchen, I am a lot more educated, a lot more trained. I will start my seafood restaurant sometime this year. 

Are you in touch with your Season 6 co-contestants?

We all still catch up. Every time someone is in the city (Melbourne), we all come together for a meal and a lot of talk and gossip (laughs). 

We heard that you gave MasterChef co-contestant Emelia Jackson $50,000 out of your prize money?

(Laughs) Yes, I did! Emelia was one of my closest friends on the show and before the final, we had struck a deal that if one of us won, we would give the other $50,000. A deal is a deal and I had to honour it (smiles).
Priyanka Roy