ACT, 27, Social Media Manager

Canberra-based Tash Shan comes to the MasterChef Australia kitchen with the weight of the nation’s capital on her shoulders. For five years she’s watched on, impatiently awaiting citizenship to finally live her dream of cooking in Australia’s most famous kitchen.

Born in Malaysia, Tash moved to Melbourne aged 19 to pursue a double degree in Law/Communications.

Having grown up in commission housing, Tash remembers how hard her parents Shan and Mary worked in order to build a better life for her and sister, Tania, 22.

Tash’s Chinese-Indian heritage meant that she was surrounded by big flavours growing up. Grandma Nancy was her inspiration in the kitchen, teaching Tash to trust her instincts. Special occasions always meant lots of food and the extended family laughing and exchanging stories around a shared table.

Moving to Melbourne for university, Tash knew no one and had to fend for herself, contending with a mountain of study. Time poor, she ate meat pies and potato wedges for a year before admitting to herself that reheating frozen food wasn’t cooking at all. She forced herself to make time to cook, rediscovering her love for food.

Planning to return to Malaysia after university, meeting boyfriend Nick changed everything and Australia is now most definitely home. Together for nine years, Tash and Nick moved to Canberra in 2012 for Nick’s work in the diplomatic service.

Self-taught by using cookbooks and food blogs, it was a gift from Nick’s parents, Damien Pignolet’s French, that changed things.

Fiercely competitive, Tash describes herself as a perfectionist and a food geek who throws regular dinner parties. Since 2012 Tash has also penned a food blog for which she cooks, reviews, styles and photographs food for a growing audience of fans.

Tash counts David Thompson, Ben Cooper, Ben Willis, Teage Ezard plus Elvis Abrahanowicz and Ben Milgate amongst her food idols. She especially admires the work of the self-taught Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal.

Dubbing her cooking style as classics with a little twist, Tash’s food has a strong Asian influence and her favourite thing to cook is dessert. “I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like dessert,” she says “and even if I did, I’m not sure I’d trust them.”

Tash’s dream is to bring a bit of Melbourne’s café culture to Canberra – she’d love to have her own café one day with “good coffee, great food and service that makes you feel like a regular.”