Chatting to Marion Grasby is like catching up with an old friend; only this friend could whip you up a delicious Thai feast fit for a queen as opposed to oven nachos and frozen margaritas (not that there’s anything wrong with that that!).
Woman’s Day recently caught up with the Masterchef alum to talk all things food, family and babies, and as it turns out, this cook might soon have some mini-kitchen hands of her own!
“It’s been such a whirlwind since Masterchef six years ago. And as you get older as a woman you start to think about these things a lot more, so finger’s crossed, hopefully in the next few years!”
“Wouldn’t it be great if I could have five or six kids and get them all in there so I could have a bunch of kitchenhands!” the brunette beauty quipped.
Marion and her husband Tim Althaus married two years ago. The happy couple have plans to start a family together in the coming years.
The beloved Aussie cook knows that family is the most important ingredient in life.
As Mother’s Day approaches, the 33-year-old revealed how she plans to spoil her mum.
You might expect Marion, who works side-by-side with her mum, Noi, to cook up a big feast for the woman she looks up to most, but as it happens, the culinary duo are taking a rather “unconventional” route this year.
“This year I asked, ‘mum, what do you want to do for mother’s day’ and she replied that she’d like to go on a pub crawl! I’m not sure where she got that from… But although very unconventional, we’re going to a few pubs and having a few wines.”
Marion and her mum Noi are a powerhouse duo in the kitchen!
Growing up, it was Marion’s mother – also a trained chef- who inspired her to get her hands dirty in the kitchen.
Taught by the best, it wasn’t long before the passionate cook began to challenge her teacher; Masterchef style.
“I think when I was a teenager there was a bit of tension because she would want to cook one thing for dinner and I would want to cook another, and then dad would have to eat two dinners and very diplomatically describe both as being very wonderful,” she recalled with a laugh.
Now, Marion works alongside her beloved mum as the powerful duo grow her ever-expanding business of cook-at-home kits.
Her products made their way from Australian supermarket shelves, across the Atlantic to market aisles in America, and soon Marion’s Kitchen will be London bound.
The success of Marion’s cook-at-home kits have taken her to Bangkok, where she currently resides.
The talented cook remains friends with show’s judge, Matt Preston. The two enjoyed a delicious dinner in Bangkok just last month.
Fans will remember Marion’s joyous, can-do attitude, but her departure from the show as undoubtedly one of Masterchefs most heartbreaking eliminations.
The season two contestant went out with her rendition of the classic Thai sauce, Satay.
Sadly for her, the dish wasn’t bad in civilian terms, but as the competition was becoming more cut-throat, the then-27-year-old South Australian was eventually out-cooked after a judge described her dish as “claggy”.
Remembering the upset, Judge George Calombaris told Woman’s Day, “She’s a great cook and great cooks have bad days.”
“It’s all about balance, a bit of acidity and liquid would have changed that sauce completely,” he adds, explaining how much of a fine line there can be between a good dish and a bad one.
See the moment Marion was eliminated from the competition in the video player below! Post continues…
The talented cook recalls that exact moment six years on from her devastating elimination.
Speaking of it now, she says that she wasn’t actually too disappointed since her journey had been so rewarding, but her mother however, seemed to have a bone to pick with the judges that sent her daughter home.
“Yes my mum was watching, and being my mum, of course, she decided to blame Gary and George. I think she was just more worried about how disappointed I would be,” she remembered.
Marion’s Instagram account is a colourful, culinary journey of her worldly travels.
Now, as the new season is beginning, a fresh batch of contestants will be put to the test on their culinary skills, innovation and creativity.
Marion, now a seasoned professional in the culinary world, has kindly shared her number one tip for those lucky competitors getting ready to battle it out in the kitchen.
“The biggest thing that Masterchef offers you is a whole world of access to chefs, training, kitchens, and everything you might not be able to do in real life. Just learn as much as possible, and meet and impress as many people as you can!”
Meet this year’s top 24 Masterchef contestants right here!
MasterChef Australia continues weeknights at 7.30pm on Channel Ten.
