MasterChef‘s Greek gourmand, Peter Kritikides, 29, tells Woman’s Day about his most embarrassing moment in the house and his big plans for the future.
So you’re out of the MasterChef house and back in the real world. Is your head still spinning?
It’s been a complete whirlwind, but a very positive one. You’d think after all this time we’d be used to the hype of the show but when your time comes [to leave] it’s still disappointing. When you walk the gauntlet out of the kitchen for the last time, it’s pretty depressing. For it all to come to an end quite abruptly is sad, but it’s been an amazing experience.
Your oyster terrine led to your departure from the show. Do you think you deserved to be eliminated?
I could see myself going further in the competition but it was a completely fair result. The oyster terrine was a really technical and tricky dish. We all had ups and downs and it just happened that my down was a fatal error with the oysters. I’m pretty pragmatic and you’ve just got to look at the positives. I’ve done things in the last few months that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. I’ve met heroes and culinary icons. While I’m disappointed that my time on the show is over, I’m proud that I made the top 12. And you may as well go out on a doozy of a challenge!
Which challenge was the most memorable?
That French team challenge. Tony Bilson and Michel Roux were our mentors and you’ve never seen a group of adults go absolutely gaga over the people we were meeting. It was that day I think we all realised how huge what we were doing actually was. It was a real defining moment for us. It was really, really special.
What was the highlight of the MasterChef experience for you?
There were so many highlights, but meeting the people we got to meet — such as Michel Roux, Maggie Beer and Stephanie Alexander — was incredible. These are people I just idolise and to have the opportunity to talk to them has been amazing. I’ll never, ever forget that.
Any experiences you’d rather forget?
Cooking a pretty embarrassingly bad dish in the modern Australian challenge was a bit of a lowlight for me! But on the other hand, if I didn’t cook that so badly I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to fly down to Melbourne, run through the Queen Victoria Market and cook for Stephanie Alexander.
Having watched the first season of the show, were you prepared for the full force of the MasterChef phenomenon?
My reason for applying to be on the show was driven by other people more than myself. I’d watched the first season and thought “I couldn’t think of anything worse than going on this show and being criticised for cooking, which is this thing that I love.”
But as I watched I realised it was as much about the characters as the food, and getting the best out of people. Nothing at all could have prepared me for how huge this season has been. We’ve done some ridiculous stuff, like cooking for 2000 people!
Did you have a favourite judge?
I don’t like to play favourites, but I had a very good relationship with George [Calombaris]. We have very similar backgrounds and food philosophies. I idolise the guy as a chef.
Who’s your tip to be this year’s MasterChef?
As much as I love Marion (everyone’s saying she’s going to win), so I say watch this space for Adam or Callum. Apart from being such a lovely young bloke, Callum has got a real talent and, with the food he’s producing, I really think he’s got what it takes.
What’s the next step for you on the road to culinary domination?
My wife and I have talked for a long time about starting our own food business. We’ve got a million ideas that we’re now going to refine, so watch this space for my little food business!
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