New South Wales, 49, Sustainability Specialist

As the eldest of four children, Jimmy proves that the apple does not fall far from the tree when it came to a passion for food.

Jimmy’s parents ran a grocery store and Chinese restaurant when he was young, where his late father worked front of house and his mother worked in the kitchen. Jimmy’s mother still works as a kitchen-hand to this day at the age of 71 and remains a constant inspiration to Jimmy.

Born in Singapore and living for a time in Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada, as a child, Jimmy was 14 when his parents moved the Wong brood to Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

With a degree in interior design, Jimmy has worked as a retail store designer for brands such as Dior, Burberry, Nina Ricci and Australian Geographic and has been the lead for retail design developments for projects like Taipei 101 and Pavilion KL mall. His international work has seen him travel to Taiwan, Malaysia and, most recently, back to Singapore, where he currently holds the role of head of social sustainability at Lend Lease in Asia.

Having started to seriously explore cooking while at university, Jimmy’s travels have also inspired his palate. As he travelled more over the years, Jimmy’s passion for food grew.

Jimmy credits his partner Jay with being not only his best friend, but also his best food critic. Together for 16 years, Jimmy says that Jay is very supportive of his creations.

With a love of fishing, camping and the outdoors, Jimmy already has a solid idea of where his food dream may lead him after the MasterChef Australia ride is over. He would love to settle on the banks of Tasmania’s Huon River, on a property running food tours and cooking workshops for guests.