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MasterChef New Zealand Brett McGregor - Source: Breakfast -
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New Zealand's first MasterChef winner is slowly coming back to earth after the secret he has held for five months was finally revealed.
Brett McGregor says keeping his win secret for months since the end of filming has been one of the hardest things to deal with.
McGregor was crowned champion in the finale of the TV ONE show last night in a tense two hour showdown between the finalists.
The final episode was filmed last December and McGregor says it was quite hard on his family to keep the win quite until last night.
"It's been quite difficult actually, having my family know as well. We've shared that secret together," he said on TVNZ's Breakfast programme today.
He said he promised Jack, his six-year-old son, a day at the toystore where he could choose whatever toy he wanted, if he promised to keep quiet.
McGregor says MasterChef has truly been an experience of a lifetime.
"On reflection now looking back, it's one of the most amazing things that I've been through and I think I've grown for it. It was tough but exceptionally fun."
There was speculation that runner-up Kelly Young was the show's winner after she began working in one of judge Simon Gault's restaurants.
McGregor, on the other hand, has not yet found a culinary position but says that since he is a teacher at a school, he believes it is not a profession you just leave.
"I am still teaching, but teaching is not the kind of profession that you can just decide one day, 'Look, I'm gonna leave'. I've got my class full of students and a really good supportive staff."
And his children are probably glad of that. All of them watched on in great anticipation last night.
For five months he has been coming through the Branston Intermediate gates and has not been able to breathe a word that he was the winner.
One student says they tried hard to get it out of him but he would not tell. The hefty fine certainly made sure he did not.
He says he definitely sees elements of cooking in his life.
"I am gonna look at opportunities as they come but you know I'll just take it one day at a time and see what happens."
Brett and Kelly faced their ultimate challenge last night - a test of their knowledge, skill and all-round cooking ability.
They were challenged with four gruelling trials and 100 points up for grabs.
Challenge one was a taste test, challenge two was a lamb invention test, challenge three tested their sausage-making skills but it was the final challenge - make a traditional French profiterole cone called a croquembouche that would have even some professional chefs quaking - that really stumped McGregor.
He said on Breakfast that he had had something of a premonition the night before the final.
"What they didn't show on the show is that I had actually dreamt about croquembouche the night before. It wasn't a pleasant dream and so I had a feeling that there was going to be something like that going to be put on to us and I was absolutely frightened to death really," says McGregor.
He also made it clear that he would never attempt the dish ever again in his life.
"There is no chance. I said last night I would never do one and I would never make another croquembouche in my life. The cream. I don't understand what went wrong. Still don't. I think there were two recipes," says McGregor.
Asked which dish he thought was his best on the show, he mentioned the surf and turf and his Alaskan king crab and beef salad.
The dish he thought was his worst was the soup he created, called the "worst soup in the world" by the judges.
McGregor also revealed he is currently writing a cook book.
"I'm quarter of the way through. I've even asked the other contestants if they would like to have a few recipes in there."
TVNZ has confirmed the commission of a second series of MasterChef New Zealand made by Imagination Television for TV ONE due in early 2011.
"We are delighted to have brought TV ONE viewers a high quality locally produced version of the hit MasterChef series.
The series will be back by popular demand next year with thousands of new hopefuls competing to earn the prestigious title MasterChef New Zealand 2011," says Jeff Latch, head of TV ONE and TV2.
To apply to be on MasterChef New Zealand Series Two, please head to MasterChef New Zealand for details.
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