The grand finale of Back To Win saw two of the competition's greatest chefs returning to go head-to-head, both hungrier than ever for the win that had eluded them in their previous seasons.
For Laura, this would be her third grand finale in the MasterChef kitchen, having come second both times before, she knew this would be her last shot at the title, the trophy, and the $250,000 cash prize.
But going up against Callum Haan, she also knew there was a very real chance that she could once again find herself a runner-up.
"I think I told myself early on that I was okay if that was going to happen," Laura told 10, "because of ow challenging the season was and how hard I really had to work to get to where I got I had come to terms with the fact that winning really isn't everything.
"It's even sweeter if you can take out the win, and I'm obviously so amazed by it, but I think I had this adult, grown version of myself saying, it's okay if I don't win this," she explained.
"It would have been heartbreaking and I knew I set myself up for that heartbreak, but I think it's just something I had to overcome mentally to be able to take out the win in the most crazy way."
Both Laura and Callum have quite literally grown up on MasterChef, both competing in their first seasons when they were 18, the pair both placed second and returned a few years ago for Back To Win in 2020.
"We've both changed so much across all three seasons we've done, we've done two together, we both respect each other and are such good friends," Laura said. "It really means a lot to Callum and I think you can see that in the way he holds himself, the way he pushed himself in every challenge.
"I think it was one of the proudest feelings to be able to stand next to and cook alongside him," she continued. "I think you always perform better when there are really good people around you, so I definitely have to thank Callum for pushing me to always make sure I was on top of my game."
The finale was made up of two rounds, the first saw Callum and Laura using a classic flavour pairing to create a dish of their choosing. At the end of the round they were locked in a tie, each earning 38 out of a possible 40 points.
It all came down to the second round, a pressure test set by pastry chef Miko Aspiras, who revealed his Botanical Garden, a jaw-dropping floral arrangement of petits fours.
"I think my reaction says it all where I literally squealed my head off," Laura laughed, "Like, what the hell? I remember looking at it going, is this edible? Is this a joke?
"I think in all the best ways it was something so different, theatrical, magical, and beautiful, and having native Australian ingredients as well in it, it all just felt right," she continued.
"And when something is so delicious and it looks like that, the excitement to get to recreate that is really cool. when do you ever get to make a dish like that? I was just blown away by what Miko had produced.'
Knowing that every element had to be near perfect in order to inch ahead of Callum in the final scores, Laura was multitasking with laser precision, but when she realised her choux pastry had not risen properly, there was a brief moment where it felt like her shot at the title was about to slip away again.
"I had it in my head like, 'You're not allowed to go in there an make one mistake' and I think I was really harsh on myself going into the challenge with that in mind because mistakes happen all the time.
"Something was bound to go wrong at some point... the way I tackled that issue, being able to stop and think about what I could do to get the best result and being able to fix it. That just came from my experience both in he MasterChef kitchen and my everyday life.
"The only person who could fix it and take out the win was me. No one was coming to save me, it was all on me."
In a full circle moment, Laura recalled the final pressure test in her original season where she was struggling to temper chocolate, unsure how to fix it. Now, with her wealth of experience, Laura was able to tweak the recipe to maintain the flavour balance of the dish.
"I think it really shows the growth over the years and, as much as I wanted the win many years ago, it proved this is the right time," Laura said.
Earning a total of 80 points out of a possible 90 overall, Laura finally got to hear the words that she was the winner of MasterChef Australia.
"It was a very surreal moment," she admitted, "I've never experienced that feeling before, I've always experienced coming second where you're heartbroken but you want to be so happy for the person who won.
"To be in that position... just that pure joy and almost relief like, holy hell I've done it, it's just so special."
And throughout the season, Laura was open about the idea that this was her last shot, the final chapter in a story that began when she was 18.
"In the weirdest way I'm sad that I don't get to go back and compete, I'm a sucker for punishment clearly. It is a life-changing experience to be part of something that is so great like MasterChef, but it's such a full circle moment where you set yourself a goal at such a young age. To be able to finally do it after not giving up is such an incredible feeling.
"I feel like I went back as a completely different person to both the times before. It just felt right to do it in that moment and to win having my parents, husband Max and then obviously our daughter Florence there as well, it's a very special moment."
Throughout it all, there was the invisible hand of judge Jock Zonfrillo, who Laura worked for at his restaurant Orana after her original season and whose influence on her cooking was seen throughout the competition.
"Jock was such a huge part of the show and, five years ago when the original Back to Win came out and Jock was part of the new judges, it was a really exciting opportunity," Laura said. "I was terrified like, that's my old boss! But it's funny what you learn along the way and the people that teach you these things, how ingrained that is within you.
"I was talking to Max about it last night like, how can I not cook this kind of food that people are reminded by of Jock? Because that's who essentially taught me how to cook straight out of MasterChef.
"My food is always going to have that influence and I think it's so special to have a platform where I can continue to share that and continue to talk about him in a place that meant so much to him as well."
As this chapter closes, Laura said her advice for anyone thinking about applying to MasterChef in the future should use her as an example and never give up.
"I think things happen at the right time and for the right reasons. Whether you've applied once or four times and may have been rejected, or if you do go on and don't win the first time and maybe get the opportunity to go back, just keep striving for that goal because MasterChef really does change your life.
"And I think the more people who can experience that magic, the better the world will be."
Watch + Stream Free On 10.
