‘Onions make me cry so much’

It is for nothing that they say: ‘history repeats itself’. Though, in this case, whether it can be termed as ‘history’ can be a point of contention. For it was just a few years back that Billie McKay had won Season 7 of MasterChef Australia. And now, she has been declared the winner of Season 14. With this, McKay has become the first chef to win the MasterChef title twice. Standing strong in the grand finale alongside celebrated desi cuisine expert Sarah Todd, who masterfully put her love for Indian food on display,McKay won the culinary conquest - MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites, streaming on Disney+ Hotstar,by two points. Facing two massive rounds of British celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal’s pressure test, McKay stunned the judges, earning her a final score of 58 out of 70, just about beating Sarah’s final score of 56. 

Ensuring that her recreation of Heston’s Taffety Tart wasn’t just perfect but almost exceeded the original, McKay reattempted several elements of the glorious dish to up her standards. Ironically, McKay won Season 7 with Heston’s pressure test and she couldn’t have been more familiar with the celebrated chef’s sky-high standards. Maintaining her signature calm as she ran around the MasterChef kitchen, admitting she felt a bit like a duck on the water, she said, “It definitely was the most stressful challenge that I faced in this season, and I think in the season I did before as well. It was the hardest dish I think I’ve ever attempted.” McKay took home the grand MasterChef trophy along with a prize money of $2,50,000.

Culinary masters have difficult winning the crown even once, what led to Billie McKay’s success twice at MasterChef Australia? 

I’m not sure but I guess what definitely helped was having done it once before as I knew what to expect. But there was loads of hard work behind it all as I studied in all of my downtime, practiced making dishes and came up with a few new ones. It can be termed as an amalgamation of luck, study, passion and determination. I really pushed myself hard to reach there.

How challenging was it competing against cuisine expert Sarah Todd? 

It was hard going up against Sarah in the finale as I knew well how much of a fierce competitor she is. Sarah has been cooking professionally since her season at MasterChef (Season 6) and completely different to what I have been doing. (Sarah has built herself a culinary empire and runs two restaurants in India). It was surely playing on my mind but then that’s the best thing about MasterChef. It is such a great equaliser which we saw with contestants coming back to try and win the title again. It can be scary going against past competitors. In the end, it was quite a level-playing field.

How different was it in the finale this year than Season 7 when you took home the crown? 

On the contrary, there were quite a few similarities, beginning with Heston Blumenthal’s pressure test. Then, there were families visiting to meet contestants and the like. To be honest, I was more comfortable this time in comparison to Season 7 when I was shaking in my shoes and was so-so nervous. I was able to harness those nerves this time and I thought if I could do it before, I could do it again. I enjoyed it more. 

When and how did Billie McKay fell in love with cooking? 

As kids, we would watch mom cook but then those were standard meals, nothing fancy or adventurous. Over time, as we were growing up, mom delved into different cuisines and tried out newer recipes. I started following her and then I fell in love with it. 

How has been the journey: from studying at Bowraville in New South Wales to being a restaurant manager in Ballina to being a two-time winner at MasterChef Australia? 

At Bowraville, one never had access to different styles of cuisines so I decided to move up the coast to Ballina as it had more restaurants than my hometown. The idea was to get out and see what was ‘cooking’ around and ended up managing a restaurant. From there, I applied for MasterChef Season 7. And here I’m.

What do you believe are the strong characteristics a chef should have?

The concepts have changed a lot over the years. Earlier, we were used to saying that chefs were rough and cranky (though there could be a better word for it) in those big kitchens. Now, they want to impart knowledge to the younger generation and show people how to cook in a calm and respectful manner. If cooking can be done a nice environment, it can be the best. Also, he or she should ensure the local produce is sourced from the local farmers. Supporting them is important in today’s day and age. 

My favourite cuisine and dish. 

Difficult to name one but I enjoy Spain cuisine. When I went there with my husband on a holiday, I just loved the seafood there. In fact, I created a Spanish seafood stew in MasterChef which was a reminder of those times and the holiday. 

My favourite ingredient in the kitchen.

Onions. Even if they make me cry so much, I think they are the foundation of most dishes and such an important ingredient along with garlic and ginger. I think I’ll be crying for years as I can’t stop chopping onions ever. 

What do you hate doing in the kitchen?  

I’m really sensitive to onions, especially when I’m chopping them. I’ve tried several ways to overcome the tears that come to my eyes but nothing has worked. So, this happens to be my least favourite job in the kitchen. Also, this results in the makeup and mascara running down my face and it surely is not a pretty picture.

When I’m not in the kitchen… 

I play a bit of piano and guitar. It’s the second thing after cooking that I do to be myself. I love listening to music too. Cooking food, playing music and relaxing with the family around is definitely one of my favourites.

Favourite contestant(s) in both the editions of the show. 

Ava Stangherlin is Season 7 as she was such a beautiful person and a great cook, one who would make me laugh every day. It helped when I felt a bit homesick. This season, there would be a tie between Minoli De Silva and Alvin Quahas I got to learn from the two of them as they have different styles of cooking apart from being great individuals. I feel lucky to have met them.

One celeb you will like to cook for one day and why? 

Australian chef-food author-restaurateur Maggie Beer and Elton John. Cook some great food and listen to some great music.

Plans for future.

I want to take a little break and spend time with my daughter to go on a holiday. When I return, I plan to open a restaurant near where I live to continue cooking and creating interesting and tasty food.