Michelle Lukman interview. The taste of a smile in a dessert

Michelle Lukman creative, bright and determined. MasterChef Australia 9 has definitely changed my life. My dream is to become a pastry development chef, specialising in developing new dessert recipes … I also would love to open up my own dessert bar called Golden…

di Antonella Iozzo

Michelle Lukman, competitor of MasterChef Australia 9, unrivaled passion, technique and creativity. Must ingredients that change your life.
Why did you decide to participate in MasterChef Australia?
I have decided to participate in MasterChef Australia because I thought it would be a good start for my cooking career, one other reasons include seeing how it has transformed many previous contestants’ lives with their cooking career which is quite impressive.

What did you like best about this experience? What did you like least?
What I liked the best about this whole experience is the different challenges that I was exposed to, such as working as an individual through mystery box and invention test but also working as a team through team challenges, which has helped me expand on my knowledge, skills and creativity in cooking. What I liked the least would be the amount of pressure present throughout the show.

MasterChef Australia has changed your life?
MasterChef Australia has definitely changed my life, it has shaped me into a better cook in terms of paying attention to details in my cooking, to be more consistent, to be more organised, also to work well under pressure. Another aspect would be the opportunities to do work experiences at a fine dining restaurant like ‘Vue De Monde’, a patisserie ‘Burch & Purchese’, and working as a commis chef at a hotel restaurant ‘OmNom Kitchen’.

Michelle, why do you prefer to cook desserts?
I prefer to cook desserts because I like the artistic side of it and the enjoyment that is derived from it, it drives me to be creative and since I love creating conceptual desserts, I get to be inspired by my surroundings and get to present the image on my plate. I also love the chemistry side of making desserts, each elements has its own ratio and precision.

Do you have a favourite ingredient?
Yes, my favourite ingredient is chocolate, there are so many things you can do with chocolate, can be used to make a mousse, a sable, an ice cream, custard, bonbons which is my favourite thing make. Not only chocolate is versatile but also very delicious and addictive to eat.

And what is your favorite cuisine?
My favourite cuisine would be Korean, although it can be very spicy, I love the flavour profile and the rice cake is just fun to eat.

Which dish you never do without?
I don’t think there is any that I can think of.

Which objectives do you want to achieve?
To share my love and knowledge of food with homecooks out there by giving them food-related advice, also teaching them how to cook based on what I have learnt throughout my cooking journey.

And whats is your dream?
My dream is to become a pastry development chef, specialising in developing new dessert recipes and working with new food products for food companies or restaurants. I also would love to open up my own dessert bar called ‘Golden’ in the future.

Three adjectives to describe the three judges of MasterChef Australia : Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris, one for each
If I had to describe the three judges, I would consider Matt Preston as the ‘generous’ one. I remembered him approaching each one of us contestants after our mystery boxes and was giving us food advices. George is the ‘hard-working’ one, he motivated us contestants to work more consistently. Lastly, I would describe Gary as the ‘intelligent’ one, he taught us well during the masterclasses, moreover he is a great flavour elevator.

And three adjectives to describe Michelle
If I had to describe myself, I would say I am creative, bright and determined.

The secret of your smile so radiant?
I think smiling brings out self-confidence and joy, it also allows people to get to know a bit about your characteristic.