It’s the big, giant, grand finale of MasterChef Australia tonight, where we’ll see our top three duke it out for the win and the $250,000 prize money.
It’s not just our finalists Kishwar Chowdhury, Pete Campbell and Justin Narayan who are pulling out all the stops, though. Judge Jock Zonfrillo will also be serving tonight. Not a dish, but a LOOK.
For the two-night Grand Finale event, which began last night and will conclude tonight, Zonfrillo paid tribute to his Scottish heritage by getting all decked out in a kilt. On Instagram, the judge shared what the outfit meant to him, and explained all the details of the look.
“Wearing a three-piece suit that talks to the Italian side of my family is one thing, but as a proud Scotsman it felt pretty special to be putting my kilt back on after nearly two years of not being able to travel back,” he wrote.
Zonfrillo shared that his family tries “to keep tradition alive”, and that his three-year-old son Alfie “has worn kilts for each of his birthdays and Christmas”.
For people unfamiliar with the traditional garb, which dates back to the 16th century, Zonfrillo broke down exactly what each element was, as well as its purpose.
Here are the details:
FLY PLAID: Zonfrillo explained that the fly plaid, which is the long piece of fabric over his shoulder was originally “much larger” and was used in the Highlands when “they used to sleep out in the elements”.
“It would be your blanket and protection from the weather,” he wrote.
SPORRAN: Where some kilts have pockets, this one doesn’t, so the sporran functions as a handbag, basically.
“I have a few hip flasks that fit perfectly,” he shared. “What are the chances?!”
GHILLIE BROGUES: “These are shoes without any tongue, so there’s holes across the top of your shoes,” Zonfrillo explained. “This was from the olden days as it allowed your shoes to drain as you walked through water and bogs. There are long laces that wrap around the ankle and up the calves, this was to help keep your shoes on if you got bogged.”
SGIAN-DUBH: A sgian-dubh is a knife that’s mostly for decorative purposes in modern times — unless you’re a chef, that is!
“They’re more decorative than actual knives, most are blunt but mine is sharp as a razor in case I need an emergency snack,” Zonfrillo wrote with a smiley face emoji.
Usually worn on the right sock, Zonfrillo explained that while people used to conceal their knives under the armpit, the right-sock position is now customary “as a courtesy” to others to let them know you have it.
KILT PIN: This one is perhaps pretty self-explanatory; the pin is secured near the opening panel so that the wind doesn’t blow the kilt up and expose you.
While Zonfrillo’s “kilts are so heavy they’re not going to blow up”, the chef said that he likes “to keep it as decoration”.
Also, “no wedding goes by without someone trying to pull [his] kilt up”, he added.
KILT: The main event! Zonfrillo’s kilt is hand-stitched from “7.5m of pleated fabric” and is “serious stuff”.
BELT BUCKLE/PLAID BROOCH: There are lots of different varieties of belt buckles and plaid brooches, but Zonfrillo’s “faves are thistle or the Lion Rampant from the Scottish flag”, which are both “pretty traditional” choices.
According to 10 Styling, Zonfrillo’s jacket, shoes and vest were his own, his shirt was from Calibre Australia while his kilt, tie and shoulder plaid were from House of Scotland.
The MasterChef Australia grand finale airs tonight on Network 10 and 10 Play.
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.