By Helena Adeloju
O.MY Restaurant Head Chef Blayne Bertocello made his MasterChef debut when he faced off against Karlie Verkerk in the show’s immunity challenge.
MasterChef Australia is a Logie Award-winning Australian reality competitive cooking show currently airing on Network Ten.
In his first appearance on television Blayne represented the Beaconsfield-based fine dining restaurant that he operates with brothers Tyson and Chayse.
Blayne said the experience was nerve-wracking and fascinating.
“The MasterChef production staff is so professional about what they do, it was amazing to see the action from behind the scenes,” he said.
When it came to cooking Blayne was in his element and wasn’t fazed by the mystery ingredients.
“It was very natural for me because here at the restaurant we change the menu all the time to use products that are seasonal,” he said. “I’m used to always having to come up with something new or different.”
Blayne said although the dish he created was inspired by some components of dishes he has created for the restaurant menu.
His Salad of Tomatoes with Chicken went up against contestant Karlie Verkerk’s Braised Chicken with Onion Sauce, Chipotle and Tomato.
Despite his concerns that the dish “was a little bit too simple” the feedback from the judges was that the dish was “delicious”, “clever”, “rich and refreshing” and “unexpected.”
The final scores came down to the dish that the judges most wanted to eat again.
Blayne said the wait during judging felt like a long one.
“Waiting for the verdict from the judges my heart was beating pretty strong. The reputation for the restaurant was on the line,” he said.
“I definitely didn’t want to lose.”
In the judging Blayne scored 35 out of a possible 40 points, while Karlie only scored 30 points.
Blayne said the community support for himself and the restaurant had been amazing.
“We have had a big influx of bookings following the show,” he said.
Blayne said he enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in the MasterChef experience.
“It was great to be able to show some food from our area in Beaconsfield,” he said.
