MasterChef’s Melissa Leong: On food, fashion and the fine art of criticism

After making her name for decades as a food critic, writer and presenter, Melissa Leong took television by storm after being announced as one of the new judges of MasterChef Australia. In her third consecutive season now (apart from the Junior and Celebrity versions) on the hit cooking reality show, ‘Mel’ is a household name and one of the most-adored TV celebrities globally, even being voted Who Magazine’s Sexiest Person of 2020.

But Mel is much more than her on-screen persona, or indeed, her looks and fashion choices; the Australian has also come in for a lot of praise due to her mental health advocacy and stance on representation for women of colour. 

Currently part of Season 14 — Fans & Favourites, which features 12 new contestants and 12 former contestants — Mel continues to be one of the most endearing aspects of the show, mentoring and working with the cooks as they fight their way to the title, all the while regaling in her banter with co-hosts Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen.

Excerpts from an exclusive Zoom interview:

This season has many popular names from previous seasons like Julie and Sashi; I know you aren’t supposed to pick favourites, but there must be contestants whose journeys you have watched earlier and are excited to interact with now?

As much as I’m aware of the spectacular achievements of these former contestants, I kind of have to put that aside and just meet people on the day, and judge what’s in front of me. 

As we always like to say, judge the food; not the people. But obviously it’s a great thrill to have some of these incredible characters back in the kitchen. Not in the least because they’re wonderful people, but also because of the way the audience resonates with them. It’s just a privilege to watch it all up so close.

Did the three of you take into account the feedback from audiences and media over your hosting of the previous seasons?

No, I really tried not to read the feedback. Our wonderful publicity team do let us know how it’s been received. And with great relief and also great happiness, we’ve been told that we’ve been received really well, and that’s a wonderful thing. 

Andy and Melissa on the sets of a previous season

But I think that what makes Jock, Andy and myself good at what we do, and what makes our dynamic great, is that we are always ourselves, for better or for worse. We’re always just trying to try to be better every single day and more supportive of each other. I think that that carries through in what you see on the screen.

As the first permanent female judge and woman of colour in the Masterchef Australia space, what has been your biggest learning over the last three years?

Look, I took this role as a judge because I felt like my background in food journalism, PR and marketing, and my awareness of global food was well suited to the job. But what I wasn’t prepared for is the emotional contribution to the job and the way that it would work with people. 

We have had many discussions about representation, inclusivity and diversity, but what really knocked me over was the resonance with people of colour — under-represented people in society in general — reaching out and saying, hey, this means something to us. 

I know that it’s not rocket science, obviously… but it is bigger than myself in some way. So it’s really nice to be part of a new movement of representation in the media, in popular culture, in film and television in general. It makes me feel really good that I’m amongst a wonderful group of people who are pushing the needle forward.

You have been super vocal about your struggles with mental health, and have emerged now as a global advocate for the cause. What would be your advice to reality show contestants — MasterChef or otherwise — on dealing with the stress of such a high-stakes televised environment?

I’m Chinese in background; you’re Indian, and we both know that, in general, mental health is not something a topic that is discussed openly in Asia.

I remember growing up, it’s just not something a family talks about. But now, being more open to discussing issues of mental health can only benefit society in general. We all as humans, at some point in our lives, will encounter rough patches. But in knowing how to manage those tough periods of time, we feel less alone and tend to fare a little better.

My advice to contestants on all sorts of competitive reality shows, is knowing for sure that you’re ready for it. It is important to be real and vulnerable, but you also need to protect yourself and have a certain amount of resilience about where you are in your life.

Your equation with Jock and Andy has blossomed so wonderfully since the trio started off, you all seem really close at this point. But I’m sure there are also disagreements and squabbles which happen off-screen, especially whilst making big calls…

The wonderful thing about the relationship between Jock, Andy and myself is that it’s built on a foundation of respect.

Melissa: ‘Our decisions always comes down to the plate of food, and not the person’

We all respect each other for our individual perspectives, our knowledge and skill bases within the very rich and diverse area of food. In that regard, I think that’s why the three of us work so well together. When we are trying to decide on who to eliminate, or if it’s very close between two dishes — and that means someone is going home — we break it down from a technical perspective, and we listen to each other’s feedback in terms of our interpretations.

But it always comes down to the plate of food, and not the person. We are not judging their character; only the technical faults or interpreting the subjectivity of food.

During the pandemic, so many first-time cooks took to the kitchen and were inspired — and comforted — by MasterChef episodes from seasons, old and new. Does that make you feel more responsible as a judge/ mentor on the show going forward?

‘Responsibility’ is a loaded word, I think. I’m so appreciative of how people have taken meaning from MasterChef Australia into their own lives. We do what we do because we love food, we know food and we love to share the experiences, the stories, the history and the culture of the contestants on the show. But the way it then takes on a life after that, is not something that I necessarily feel completely responsible for… it sort of augments into its own thing, doesn’t it?

Have you ever thought about being on the other side of the drama… as a contestant? If given the chance in the future, would you be game to cook, maybe in a special episode?

Absolutely not! (laughs) I know my place in this competition, and I’m very comfortable being a judge.. It is undoubtedly incredibly brave what the contestants do, turning up to the kitchen every single day, completely unaware and uninformed about what is going to happen. Each of them takes on the challenge with good humour, and a really serious sense of consideration for what they’ll cook and why they’ll cook it. For that, they have my undying respect.

You are known on-screen — as well as on social media — for constantly trying out new cuisines in different countries and promoting the same; what are you hooked on to most recently?

Prior to the pandemic, I was travelling a fair amount overseas for travel and food stories. The last place I was in was Morocco in North Africa; it was such a wonderful mixture of Middle-Eastern cuisine, Arabic culture, French contribution and influences from all over Europe. I really try to remain impartial when it comes to food, and just be open to any food experiences that are presenting themselves to me. 

Wherever you go around the world, there is an influence of history in terms of multiculturalism, trade routes, and colonialism, as well. That really provides you with just an endless array of experiences and interpretations of food, stories and families.

Your clothes and sense of fashion on the show have attracted a lot of praise and fandom; how much work goes into figuring out what you wear on each episode?

That’s really testament to our wonderful wardrobe department! We have an incredible stylist, and whether or not you realise it, the way that the three of us are dressed is very deliberate; there’s unifying characteristics in textures or colours, and everything’s quite sharply considered. 

Andy, Melissa and Jock on the sets of the show

The great thing about what we choose to wear is we have an opinion about who we are and how we would like to present ourselves, and then that information is interpreted by our stylist. 

It’s really lovely that our fashion has resonated with the audience. For me personally, being Australian and living here, it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate incredible Australian designers and labels. Each week of the show is a wonderful opportunity for a specific designer — emerging or otherwise — to showcase their work for the entirety of that week.

India, of course, has a huge fan following for MasterChef.. any plans to visit in the near future?

I would absolutely love to visit India, for so many reasons. It has been a crazy couple of years where all of a sudden — after having taken travelling for granted — we haven’t been able to go anywhere. 

I would just be so thrilled to experience more of the very specific regional dishes. It’s been such an honour to meet any contestant who has travelled and lived extensively in India, or hails from an Indian background. 

Australia is only dipping a toe in the water so far is really understanding the depth and the nuance of Indian cuisine, and it’s something that’s is really exciting for me to watch as it grows.

MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites currently streams on Disney+ Hotstar