Age: 37

State: New South Wales

Occupation: Youth Worker

Instagram: @emeatseveryday

Emily Sue was born into a world of food. Her parents owned a small Chinese restaurant in rural NSW, and her grandfather, before that, had opened one of Dubbo’s first Chinese restaurants.

When not helping out at the restaurant, Emily and her sister spent a lot of time with their grandma, shadowing her as she cooked them simple but delicious Cantonese food. In Chinese culture, cooking is a love language, with the older generations not saying “I love you”, but “have you eaten yet?” to show they care. Though her grandma has since passed on, the two shared a special bond, and Emily remains inspired by her.

The family grew most of their own fruit and vegetables, and Emily fondly recalls sharing harvested backyard produce within the community to ensure everyone had produce and nothing went to waste. It showed her how to be a resourceful cook.

She started out making wontons and hotpots, but realised the importance of cooking whilst at university, ensuring she had cooking facilities on campus. It’s there she tasted food from other cultures, and when MasterChef Australia’s first season aired, it was a ritual to crowd into a dorm room and watch it together. Emily still vividly recalls feeling inspired by seeing Poh Ling Yeow on screen.

Emily’s profession as a youth worker, as well as her wanderlust, saw her based overseas for 10 years, backpacking, volunteering and working across many countries, including Canada, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Japan.

Based in Japan for eight years, she not only fell in love with Japanese cuisine and culture but also met her partner, Hidemi, who has now moved to Australia with her. The pair love to spend weekends exploring cheap eats around Sydney.

Very much a savoury cook, Emily loves experimenting with Asian flavours and is keen to build her sweets game. She’s ready to take on any feedback the MasterChef kitchen gifts her, eager to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

In the future, she’d love to combine her loves of cooking and youth work, taking to the road to teach Aussie kids about cooking as a key life skill.