He placed seventh just last year on MasterChef Australia, and already, Tommy Pham is ready to step back into the kitchen for Fans & Favourites.
A true fan favourite, Pham wowed the audience and judges alike with his fresh, vibrant take on Vietnamese-inspired dishes.
It was the super success of his Bahn Mi Danish that put him on the map as one to watch, and after leaving the show, he opened a delivery-only pop up shop in the middle of the 2021 Sydney lockdown. It sold out immediately.
Aside from his smash hit pop up store, Pham has been enjoying his time as a stay-at-home dad, while also juggling his own food business and honing his culinary skills.
In a Q&A with The Latch, Pham explained the real challenge of rejoining the MasterChef kitchen for Fans & Favourites.
“I can put the business on hold, but leaving my little baby boy Miles is hard,” he explained.
A largely self-taught chef, Pham credits his mother with teaching him the basics of Vietnamese cooking and believes food connects people with both their family and heritage.
Having just competed last year, Pham is still very much in “game mode” from last season.
While his favourite ingredients to cook with are chilli, fish sauce and noodles, Pham said that his dessert repertoire has been an area of improvement that he’s been working on to make sure he can go all the way.
In a world post-MasterChef, Pham dreams that he’ll one day be able to produce a cooking and travelling show in Vietnam.
When he’s not bustling around the kitchen, Pham said that his hobbies are “mindfulness, photography and nature aquariums”.
Will Pham be able to take his new skills all the way to Finals Week? Only time will tell.
MasterChef Australia premieres at 7.30pm on April 18, 2022, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand.
Want more MasterChef Australia? Read here.
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