WA cooks make MasterChef cut
For a foodie about to compete against some of the best home cooks in Australia, it is surprising to learn Sara Oteri didn’t own any cookbooks before entering Ten’s MasterChef Australia.
“I have always just been, go to the markets, find food that inspires me, or go online, see how other people treat it,” said the 26-year-old, who won one of the coveted white aprons to make the top 24 in last night’s season premiere.
“My pantry is a bit of a mystery box at the best of times; you have these five ingredients what are you going to make?
“So coming into the competition I was borrowing as many cookbooks as I could from friends, learning basics.”
Oteri grew up south of the river, attending Penrhos College and studying communications at Curtin University before moving to Melbourne to work in advertising four years ago. The dish that secured her spot in the top 24 was an organic eye fillet with seasonal vegetables and red wine jus.
WA’s other confirmed top-24 contestant, Jessica Arnott, is an adopted sandgroper who grew up in Sydney. The 29-year-old’s mum is from WA and Arnott moved here about a year ago with her WA-raised boyfriend.
“For my signature dish I did a spiced lamb rack with a little red quinoa tabouli and smoky eggplant and anchovy puree, a kind of Lebanese vibe going on there,” Arnott said.
Her favourite places to eat include Typika, Mary Street Bakery and El Publico, which she says has better Mexican food than Sydney.
She hopes the precision she learned in her work as a bartender and manager will help her in MasterChef.
“It is like baking really, it has got to be down to the millilitre.”
