Joanne Q&A
Fast facts
1. Favourite chef: My Dad and Greg
Malouf.
2. Favourite restaurant: Tanuki in Brugge,
Belgium.
3. Favourite cuisine: Japanese and
Lebanese.
4. Favourite place to travel: Europe (Brugge
in Belgium).
5. Favourite dish to cook: Chestnut
soup.
6. Favourite vegetable: Fennel.
7. Sweet or savoury: Savoury then
sweet.
8. How do you like your eggs: Always in twos,
sunny side up.
Q&A
Favourite ingredient and why?
Baharat. It's used in most Lebanese dishes and has a mixture of
many spices. I always say that variety is the spice of
life.
What's your favourite meal of the day - breakfast, lunch or
dinner?
Dinner is my favourite meal where my family and I can share some
quality time together at the end of the day.
What dish would be the way to your heart?
Fresh quince uncooked or any dish that has quince as a main
ingredient.
What are your favourite tunes to cook to?
Josh Groban. Rock tunes, jazz, classical.
What do you think you'll learn from being on
MasterChef?
To be a more skilful cook and gain an insight into the food
industry.
Which judge makes you the most nervous?
Gary.
Tell us about how you got into cooking and how old were
you?
I was quite young, about seven. My mother, father and aunties would
gather together and cook beautiful Lebanese dishes. I would watch
and always ask if I could help. I was keen to cook whenever my
mother allowed me.
What's the first meal you remember cooking and was it a
success or a disaster?
A chicken and pineapple dish that I learnt in high school. I was 13
and tried to cook the dish on my own. What a disaster that was! I'm
still not keen on chicken to this day.
What three ingredients would you take with you to a
desert island and what would you cook with them?
Bread, wine and cheese.
If you were having any three people, alive or dead, over
for dinner, who would they be and what would you cook for
them?
Oprah, Alan Jones and Matt Preston. I would have them gathered
around my teppanyaki and feed them many dishes that are close to my
heart. I would finish off with a dessert that has quince as a main
ingredient.
What inspired you to go on MasterChef?
The opportunity to fulfil my food dreams. I wanted to do something
for myself that would make me and my family proud. Watching the
journey of the contestants on MasterChef series one, especially
Julie, was truly an inspiration too.
