Why a TV 'nobody' could still make a good choice for MasterChef judge

When Matt Preston became a MasterChef Australia judge in 2009, he was a freelance food writer with a column in The Age’s Epicure section. He also wrote hi-fi reviews for the Green Guide TV pages. He had been anointed Food Journalist of the Year in 2008 by Le Cordon Bleu’s now-defunct World Food Media Awards but he was far from a household name.

Indeed, Preston was frequently seen in public without a cravat. Eleven years later, he’s a ubiquitous and versatile media presence and it’s easily imaginable that his star will shine even more brightly without the yearly yoke of MasterChef.

So, who is the next Matt Preston, the scribe or commentator who can talk food until the cows come home, or at least until they’re turned into beef tournedos in a red-versus-blue team challenge? We could hack ISPs to find out who’s visiting the website of MasterChef’s production house Endemol Shine, or we could simply throw a few hats into the ring here and now.

Myffy Rigby, editor of the national Good Food Guide, is a strong and opinionated food communicator with a striking fashion sense. Move over cravats, come on down extravagant hats, stripes and polka dots.

Presenter and food writer Melissa Leong also loves a fine frock; she’s cut her TV teeth on SBS’s The Chefs’ Line in which she’s drawn the best from both home cooks and chefs.

Byron Bay-based author, chef, teacher and nutritionist Sam Gowing is a no-nonsense bolt of sunshine; she’d not only be able to tell contestants if their sauce was too thin, she’d be able to tell them how to fix it, and whether it ticked off all the food groups.

Bright spark and crack food-and-travel freelancer Sofia Levin has created the #eatcuriously hashtag on her popular Instagram feed to encourage diners to, let’s say, try Uyghur cuisine instead of Cantonese next time they want Chinese.

Dapper Dan Stock from the Herald Sun scrubs up nicely in a suit and isn’t shy of archly sharing his views.

Pat Nourse, longtime deputy editor of Gourmet Traveller and now creative director of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, is knowledgeable, articulate and has a wit as sharp as a Japanese filleting knife.

Oh, there’s also this ace lady who’s been doing the Sunday Age reviews for 12 years. I think her name’s Dani Valent – she’d be OK.

Under-sung chefs with great chops for the box include: Shannon Martinez, the mouthy and marvellous Melburnian revolutionising vegan food; Chef Charlie Carrington from Melbourne’s Atlas was beaten in a MasterChef immunity challenge in 2017 but he was charming and articulate in defeat; Chef Jesse McTavish (recently at North Bondi Fish) also bombed in an immunity challenge, against this season's runner-up Tessa Boersma. He’s a passionate and encouraging chef though, and has a smile you can see with the lights out.

MasterChef’s role is to unearth, encourage and nurture cooking talent from around the country. When it launched 11 seasons ago, it did the same with the hosting talent: their fame and rapport grew with the show. The reset is an opportunity to do this again. Let’s hope the producers don’t play it too safe.

Dani Valent is a freelance food writer for Good Food.