What’s the first meal you remember cooking and was it a success or a disaster? A Thai banquet. I was about 16 and invited a small group of friends. It was a success.
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Marion Q and A
Favourite chef?
My mum.
Favourite restaurant?
Universal, Sydney.
Favourite cuisine?
Thai.
Favourite place to travel?
Thailand.
Favourite dish to cook?
My mum’s Thai rice soup.
Favourite vegetable?
Chilli.
Sweet or savoury?
Savoury.
How do you like your eggs?
Poached and runny.
Favourite ingredient and why?
Coriander because it’s the basis of so many Thai dishes. My mum is Thai and coriander reminds me of the flavours I grew up with.
What’s your favourite meal of the day – breakfast, lunch or dinner?
Dinner is my favourite meal because cooking is how I relax at the end of a busy day.
What dish would be the way to your heart?
It may be cliché but I would swoon over a huge plate of Coffin Bay Oysters served with lemon wedges and a glass of champagne.
What are your favourite tunes to cook to?
Shirley Bassey and Carol King on vinyl. Yes, I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to music.
What do you think you’ll learn from being on MasterChef?
I hope to learn a whole range of new cooking skills as well as building up my confidence in the kitchen.
Which judge makes you the most nervous?
Matt Preston. He knows everything about any dish you serve up. He’s impossible to fool.
Tell us about how you got into cooking and how old were you?
I can’t remember a time I wasn’t interested in cooking. I’ve grown up watching, listening and learning from my mum in the kitchen.
What three ingredients would you take with you to a desert island and what would you cook with them?
Lemon, salt and pepper. I’m hoping this island has an abundance of fish to catch.
If you were having any three people, alive or dead, over for dinner, who would they be and what would you cook for them?
Christine Manfield (Head chef, Universal). Tetsuya (Head chef, Tetsuya’s). Shannon Bennett (Head chef, Vue de monde, Melbourne). I’d make them cook.
What inspired you to go on MasterChef?
My love of cooking. I wanted to prove to myself that I can turn my passion for food into a career.
