Prepare for a sweet journey on MasterChef Australia: Secrets and Surprises this week as the exceptionally skilled pastry chef, Kay-Lene Tan, enters the kitchen as guest judge.
Her arrival will challenge the abilities of the four contestants vying for the coveted immunity pin. However, an intriguing twist awaits them all. Tea, a bewitching ingredient, must take centre stage in both the contestants’ and Kay-Lene’s creations. To further test their culinary prowess, the contestants will only have 15 minutes to craft their sweet masterpieces.
But that’s not all. Tan will soon find herself competing on the highly anticipated MasterChef Australia: Dessert Masters, which is set to premiere later this year. There, she’ll be competing for the coveted title of Australia’s first-ever Dessert Master. She will be up against MasterChef favourite Reynold Poernomo as well as the legendary Adriano Zumbo.
Who Is Kay-Lene Tan?
Melbourne-based Chef Kay-Lene Tan has trained under the”Chef of the Century”, Joël Robuchon. In 2018, Tan was the recipient of the Hostplus Hospitality Scholarships, which sent her around the world to learn from her heroes, including stepping into the kitchen at Atelier Crenn in San Francisco and Hisa Franko in rural Slovenia.
Before wielding a spatula, Tan was in the film industry, working on documentary film productions. Then, as she calls it, her quarter-life crisis pushed her to enrol at the At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy in Singapore, where she graduated with a diploma in pastry and bakery art.
Her first real-world experience was under the watchful eye of Joël Robuchon, where she mastered classical French basics, then moved to Pollen, where she honed her own style under mentor and acclaimed pastry Chef Andres Lara.
Tan then moved to Melbourne, where she held the impressive title of Head Pastry Chef at Tonka and Coda Restaurants. There, she blended traditional and contemporary flavours from her childhood to create works of art that look good and taste good.
Today, you can find Tan in the kitchen of the lauded hotel chain, The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, where she whisks her magic for guests and oversees all the sweet and bakery items as Executive Pastry Chef.
MasterChef Australia: Secrets and Surprises airs at 7.30 pm, Sunday — Thursdays, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand. Miss an episode? Catch up on 10 Play.
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