Emma O'Shaughnessy

“I started cooking when I was five years old. The first dish I ever prepared was a packet-mix chocolate cake, which I prepared with my randma supervising. I can still remember how proud I was when I finished decorating the cake!”

Emma is a go-getter and describes herself as “loud, fun and a total chatterbox.”

When she was in high school, she and a friend pushed their teachers into organising a school trip to WA to work in an aboriginal community for a week. “It was something I’d always wanted to do. I worked withthe children and helped out in classes, it really opened my eyes.”

Emma’s food hero is Adriano Zumbo, she is inspired by his macaroons. “I think you need to frame his food not eat it!” And she also loves Donna Hay - “Her food presentation is just incredible.”

She also credits Maggie Beer, “her food makes you feel warm and looked after.”

Emma’s signature dish is sticky date pudding and she loves making her own pasta. She knows her weakness will be letting her emotions get in the way of her cooking. “I wear my heart on my sleeve.”

Emma dreams of opening a dessert bar with books, coffee and cushions.

She is a black belt in karate.