One of MasterChef 2012’s most infectiously likeable personalities, Beau’s Elimination will no doubt be taken to heart by his many fans.

Sent home after the second round of the Kylie Kwong Challenge, in which he had 30 minutes to create a Chinese-inspired dish, Beau hit a culinary roadblock when trying to inject a burst of flavour into his Crispy Prawn Salad. “I struggled to make a dressing for my salad with the black vinegar under the bench, it didn’t taste that good... but if I just had one lime then I could have made a really yummy dressing and had a cracker dish!”

This particular Elimination Challenge may not have gone Beau’s way, but his stellar performance in a recent Pressure Test is still fresh in the memory. Understandably, he counts it as his proudest moment in the MasterChef kitchen. “Cooking Vincent Gadan’s dish ‘The Essence of a Woman’ and getting complete praise from all the judges, who I look up to – that’s all I wanted to achieve as a cook in this competition. ”

Reflecting on Gary’s final remarks that he would love to see Beau working in a commercial kitchen under a mentor, the Victorian construction worker has no doubt who would top his list. “Hands down Jamie Oliver!” he cheers. “He is my ultimate idol and I would love to follow in his footsteps; I hope I get another chance to meet him and have a good chat.”

Beau’s future plans partly involve following in his hero’s footsteps by promoting healthy eating for children, beginning in his own town of Castlemaine. “I’m going to start working with some organisations in my local community, which are focused on making a positive change in kids through cooking. One upcoming project is a youth café/community garden for kids which I’ll be getting involved with.

“Also, I want to do some hands-on workshops at schools with a focus on healthy eating and sport. One thing I dream of doing in the future is to maybe do a cooking show for kids, with Alice who has a similar dream to mine. I think we would be a lot of fun and be able to make some healthy changes in the way young people eat.”