Born in Italy before immigrating to Australia as a five-year-old, Adele learnt from a young age just what it takes to live la dolce vita – food…and plenty of it.

“I’ve had a love affair with food since I was a little girl,” says the Adelaide hairdresser. “I was brought up in a strong Italian family and I was cooking at a very early age with my mum.

“There were always people crowded around our dining room table. Being new to Australia, they welcomed anyone into our home and at our table to eat. The meals were always very big and dad’s garden, which was full of all the beautiful veggies and herbs we’d use in the meal, was shared amongst the neighbourhood.”

It’s a tradition that Adele is determined to pass on to her own children. Smiling at the thought of her family huddled around the dining table during evenings filled with great food, wine and traditional Italian music, she dreams of one day opening a café.

Adele lives for her two sons, Matthew, 27, and Michael, 24. She has owned a suburban Adelaide hairdressing salon for 23 years, but after three decades cutting hair, she decided to follow her taste buds by entering MasterChef Australia.

“I want to fulfil my dream and turn my passion for food into a little café with my son Michael,” says Adele, adding that Michael has a learning disability. “It would be influenced by Italy and full of good food and traditional music that I listened to as a child. Michael hasn’t really been given a chance at a good job and it’d be wonderful to work with him in our own café – we’d make a great team I reckon.”

Adele would no doubt thrill her customers with her signature dish of homemade gnocchi.

“I do a lot of entertaining,” she says. “I love making gnocchi ricotta and cooking things with different cheeses. I’ve taken on my own style of cooking and expanded on what my mum cooked when I was a child in a modern Australian way. But I still try to keep it quite traditional as I love the tradition of Italian food. I’m proud of where I’m from and my family.”

But not every meal has to be a culinary masterpiece for Adele.

“All I need is good cheese and wine and I’m happy – you cannot beat cheese and I just love it!” she says. “Add a glass of red wine, and, well, it’s absolutely beautiful.”