Having previously worked in the magazine industry, Sydney copywriter Karlie Verkerk already has plenty of publishing experience.
Now, the MasterChef contestant is keen to broaden her horizons and is aiming to have her own cookbook.
“Coming in to this competition I definitely wanted to make a career for myself in the food industry as a writer,” Karlie, 26, who has worked for magazine including Real Living, says.
“Working on recipes and developing recipes was definitely one of those things that was included in that idea.”
Of her passion for food, Karlie says it’s always been in the back of her mind.
“I’ve been interested in food my entire life. After school I didn’t really know what I wanted to do so I took some time off and went to university and studied journalism and a bachelor of arts in communication and then I sort of fell in to interior design through doing work experience. Then I realised that food is where I wanted to be.”
And the MasterChef competition has only cemented that.
“I didn’t apply for MasterChef for the reality side of it,” Karlie told TV WEEK last month. “I’m not in it for TV, I’m in it to better myself as a cool and understand food on a different level.”
Karlie wouldn’t be the first former MasterChef contestant to launch a cookbook following her time on the reality show.
Plenty of previous contestants such as Poh Ling Yeow, Justine Schofield, Laura Cassai and Sarah Todd have all released cookbooks.
“Past contestants like Poh and Justine have gone in to the TV industry with their own shows, so that’s pretty interesting too,” Karlie says.
“But my first focus would be in writing.”
