Victoria, 31, Teacher

Born in the small Tuscan town of Travelle, near Florence, Italy, Cecilia’s culinary influences span her Italian homeland, to traditional Chinese flavours from her father and uncle and Vietnamese tastes from her mother.

Having fled Vietnam just before her birth, the family landed in Italy where they lived until Cecilia was 12, before moving to Melbourne.

A keen student, Cecilia earned a double degree in Science/Education at Monash University. After working both in a pharmacy and as a tutor, it became clear to Cecilia that she was much more needed as a teacher and so she followed her passion for teaching.

Working as a maths and science teacher in Melbourne, Cecilia’s world changed dramatically in August 2013.

Cecilia successfully made it through the Judges’ Auditions for MasterChef Australia Series 6 in 2014 but had to withdraw from the competition due to a head injury she sustained on a snowboarding trip before her application.

With a clean bill of health, returning to the classroom part-time in mid-2014, Cecilia has also enjoyed her new-found hobby of being a children’s entertainer in her spare time, specialising in face painting, balloon twisting and making cakes.

Looking up to chefs like Jamie Oliver, Christy Tania, Antonio Carluccio, Gennaro Contaldo, Adriano Zumbo and Luke Nguyen, the science teacher in Cecilia also admires Heston Blumenthal.

Looking to the future, Cecilia would love to use her talents in the kitchen to become a champion of food for youngsters, encouraging children to get involved in cooking with their parents, helping to ignite their passion for food.