New ventures for Kitchen 'villains'

Despite walking away from the show empty-handed, Perth My Kitchen Rules' runner-ups Kelly Ramsay and Chloe James have had plenty on their plates since the show wrapped up in April.

James felt like the real winner when she married her long-time love Luca Pietropiccolo in an elaborate wedding ceremony in New York last month.

But there was a very real fear that the weight she gained on the Seven cooking reality show would mean she might be too big to fit into her custom-made Galleria Couture gown by designer Kevin Raphael.

"Both Kelly and I put on a lot of weight during the show," James admitted to AAA Weekend. "Coming home I freaked out. I didn't think I was going to fit into my dress."

And with a week before the wedding in New York, James was fearful she might regain the weight she lost post-MKR from "all the beautiful American food".

To her relief everything worked out and the 28-year-old had her fairytale wedding with teammate and friend Ramsay by her side as one of her bridesmaids.

It was their brutally honest opinions that framed the girls as villains on the reality cooking show and subjected them to a mass of public backlash, which they believe has now died right down.

"Every so often you get a little snigger but at the end of the day we're really proud of what we did on the show," Ramsay said. "It would've been better if we'd won - but still."

Now settled in Perth with her new husband, James is preparing for her next big venture.

"I'm just about to launch a business of my own which is My Lunch Box Rules," she said.

"Healthy lunches will be delivered to workplaces in Perth mainly focusing on Osborne Park and Cannington and those areas that don't have many food choices."

Ramsay is also hoping to stay with her first love of cooking, continuing in her trainee position at the Trustee Bar & Bistro to hone her skills before she goes out on her own.

"I've been writing a lot of recipes and trying to start up a business in gourmet catering," she said.