Q & A With Simon Gault
We caught up with MasterChef New Zealand judge Simon Gault on the finalists - and got his thoughts about what the future holds for him - and the winner!
What was it about Kelly that got her to the
end?
Simon - I thought when Tracey, Kelly and
Nigel went, they were better cooks; I thought they deserved another
chance. I questioned our integrity with that and I was very pleased
we were able to get them back. And Kelly without a doubt, when I
first met Kwlly I thought "I want to employ you." And then I
watched her over the course of the show and just saw her get
better, and better, and better. Her determination and her pride was
there the whole way through; her passion was there - I think she
has the makings of a great chef and a great leader in the
kitchen.
Was there anything which surprised you about Kelly as a
contestant?
Simon -
No - I saw her on the first day and I knew in the
first five minutes, I just knew.
She has had a couple of wobbles throughout the
competition - but people have good days and bad days?
Simon -
You do recognise that but any chef has wobbles;
but there's no restaurant that you go to in the world where it's
perfect every single time. Chefs have wobbles and that's part of
being a chef but it's getting up and fighting and not giving
up.
Kelly is one of the favourites among much
of the public - and appears to have a way to inspire cooking - that
must be great for the MasterChef NZ brand?
Simon -
Yeah, you want people to watch this show and
hear them say I want to cook that dish; I want to have a go at that
and get excited about it. Food draws people in and Kelly's not the
only one who does that on the show - a lot of them do.
Which other contestants stood out for you in the early
run? Would you have liked to have seen more of anyone?
Simon -
I would have liked to have seen more from
Christine; I would have liked to have seen her show a little
restraint on her first challenge; I think she could have gone
further but she didn't and it's all about the day and the
challenge.
Turning to the winner, what marked Brett out as NZ's
first ever MasterChef?
Simon
- Brett had an edge; he had that extra bit of
finesse. He had a desire to win but overall, he had it to cook. He
may have had some wobbles throughout but it's all about the
challenges on the day - you know, you're as good as your last meal,
as we say in the restaurant all the time. You know, if someone
comes in and has a bad meal, they probably won't come back. You
have to get up and fight again. Brett had that - they all had
wobbles.
Was there any moment where you doubted who would
win?
Simon
- Didn't know who was going to win until the last
day. Until the last challenge - it was that close. We would often
as judges, discuss and ask who we thought would win and we'd all
say We've really got no idea. Mainly because you don't know what
they're going to do on the next challenge and you don't know how
they're going to handle it. We were all in agreement at the end
when we decided on New Zealand's first ever MasterChef.
What would you like Brett to do with this
title?
Simon
- I hope he takes it somewhere. The industry is
difficult and hard work but you have got to have the basics. These
two, Kelly and Brett have the skills to be great chefs - now they
need to go and work in the industry, become the industry.
Are you hoping to have inspired a new generation of
chefs?
Simon
- I think both the judges and the contestants
have inspired them. If there's another series I think there will be
a lot more people applying next time because they've seen what's
involved. The softies who watch won't want to get involved - but
softies don't last in the industry so that's a good thing.
Do you think the standard will be higher for another
series?
Simon
- Without a doubt. We'd be looking for the same
things, that magic and extra 5 percent.
Has MasterChef changed your life?
Simon
- I will always love being in the kitchen. The
nature of my job has changed over the years; I've now got 5
restaurants, I can't be in the kitchen every day. My role is to
motivate, write menus and train people as well as being an
inspiration to those who work for me. I absolutely miss being in
the kitchen but does Giorgio Armani miss sowing a suit? He can't
sow every Armani suit you buy - and you'd be a fool to think you
can get every meal cooked at all of my restaurants every night of
the week - it just doesn't happen.
What's your final words to any budding
MasterChefs?
Simon
- Get stuck in and go for it.Don't give up the dream.
Just make sure you have a dream.
