Rhys proves he was up to the challenge

A Kimberley Quest chef has clinched $200,000 and a round-the world trip after being crowned Australia’s first Professional MasterChef.

Rhys Badcock beat 17 other culinary competitors to become the winner of Ten reality cooking show MasterChef: The Professionals.

He was announced the winner on Sunday night in a nail-biting finale, narrowly beating fellow finalists Sarah Knights and Rhett Willis by a few points.

Badcock spoke to the Broome Advertiser on Monday and said he was still absorbing the victory.

“(I’m feeling) tired, it was a pretty late night, lots of phone calls and a super-early start today, so it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” he said.

“I had one glass of bubbly and tried to hit the hay — it’s all a bit surreal.”

Badcock, who has been a chef on board luxury cruise liner Kimberley Quest for four years, said he auditioned for the show to “challenge” himself.

Known for his laidback style, Badcock said this was a useful quality in the competition.

“I didn’t have too many personal challenges,” he said.

“It was just more trying to keep your head in the game, keep focused and not let your mind slip to other things.

“I didn’t think I was going to do as well as I’ve done, I thought I would have been out quite early on in the piece actually, but you know I just took each challenge as it came.”

As well as taking out the coveted MasterChef award, Badcock said the other highlight was meeting his foodie hero, Michelin star chef Marco Pierre White. “It was a bit of an honour…and to find out he’s such a gentleman is even better.”

Since joining the Quest team in February 2009, Badcock has relished the perks of working onboard a cruise ship.

“It’s fantastic…as far as chefing goes, you don’t get too many better gigs,” he said.

“It’s pretty good money, (you get) time on, time off and you get to explore the awesome Kimberley.”

Originally from the Sunshine Coast, Badcock divides his time between Byron Bay and Broome, and said his earliest memories of food were his mum’s “epic feasts” and Christmas lunches at his grandparents’ camping spot in Byron Bay.

After claiming the highest accolade in his career so far, Badcock said he now planned to buy a little combi van to visit his mother in WA and possibly start his own reality television program.

“I wouldn’t mind doing a TV show where I travel around, go and catch different things and cook it all up.”

Badcock will rejoin the crew at Kimberley Quest for the tourist season on April 21.