"I had a realisation moment that cooking is where my heart is...and I had tears of joy running down my face."
Age: 45
State: New South Wales
Occupation: Book store owner
Favourite cuisine: Thai
Favourite place to travel: Anywhere
Favourite dish to cook: Anything with Asian/Moroccan spice
Favourite dessert to eat: Flourless chocolate cake
Sweet or Savoury: Savoury
Chilli or garlic: Both
At 45-years-old, Michelle is thrilled that she has been chosen for MasterChef Australia but is realistic about where the experience can take her. "I would love the opportunity to work in a restaurant but because of my age I'm not sure I have the longevity to be in a kitchen for 12 or 14 hours a day working my guts out."
A bookshop owner, Michelle has also been a teacher and a photographer, and she credits this life experience as an advantage in the competition. For the past twelve months, Michelle's focus has been food and she has taken every cooking class she can. "I'm formulating my path and it's like taking on a new identity, I own a book shop, I've been a professional photographer and I've been a teacher. My world is so varied already and I've had so many careers, but this is the one that is about following my heart."
"I started to focus on my passion for food about two years ago. I had a realisation moment on a kitchen tour and I realised that I got so excited that I had tears of joy running down my face! It was strange. I spent a year processing that moment and 12 months ago I made a conscious decision to follow my heart and do as many food courses as I could find. I went to Italy on a trip with a chef, he took me under his wing and I'm grateful for that. I think this is the best way to learn in the shortest amount of time. It's amazing for me to be privvy to an industry and a world that it would take me a long time to break into."
Passionate about the sort of food she eats, Michelle really looks up to Jamie Oliver's style of cooking and identifies with his values. "I grow my own veggies and have fruit trees as well. I don't eat a huge amount of meat but I love to eat organic if I do. I want the animals to be well loved. I want to have some sort of karma about what I'm eating. For me, I love the connection with the cycle of life and it’s the whole cycle from the plant and the animal to what's put on a plate that is so important."
"I love Jamie Oliver because he gives back to other people and to the community. He's the salt of the earth and he cares about food and is trying to help changes as well and I identify with that energy."
Having been with her partner Patsy for eleven years, Michelle will miss having her support during MasterChef Australia but credits her relationship with making her unique. "I'm a lesbian who eats tofu and meat and thinks food is about the connection between love and life," she laughs.
