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MasterChef's Laura Sharrad shares how she made a career from the show
EXCLUSIVE: The two-time contestant opens up about her experience on the show and her impressive career achievements.
Not only has Laura Sharrad competed on two seasons of MasterChef Australia, but she’s also the only person in the history of the reality show to finish in second place twice.
The celebrity chef has achieved enormous success since she first appeared on season six, opening two restaurants in Adelaide with her husband Max Sharrad who she met while working at Jock Zonfrillo’s award-winning restaurant Orana.
Now she’s opened up to Yahoo Lifestyle about her impressive career, her future plans, and how the Channel 10 series completely changed her life.
Why did you apply for MasterChef?
“I was actually at uni in my first year and I was studying health science. I wanted to do something whether it's in food or health or sport and teach and inspire people,” she recalls. “And I was bored and I didn't want to study for my exams so I just went online and I filled out an application.
“I got an email back two days later saying, ‘We loved your application, we'd love to proceed you to the next level’… And I just kept getting through round after round after round and I ended up deciding to not sit my exams and fly to Melbourne and try out, and it turned out all for the best.”
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What was your experience like on season 6?
“It took me a long time to actually understand that I was on MasterChef, I was filming a TV show and that it would come out and everyone would see what was happening,” she remarks. “It just felt like I was on a cooking camp somewhere with a bunch of random people and no one was ever going to see the footage.
“So it was very surreal and being part of it was just incredible. And I think being so young I just thought, you’ve got to throw yourself in and make the most of every opportunity because really you’re only meant to get that experience once in your life and that opportunity to go on a show like that, so I definitely made the most of it.”
How did you navigate life after the show?
“I just threw myself into hospitality,” she shares. “I ended up working at Orana with Jock, so I went there for a two-week work experience thing and I got offered a job so I was like, alright, cool, we’ll take it and just go see how it works out.
“I ended up meeting my hubby there and I stayed there for almost three years and just loved it. And I think after three years I was like, I need to see what else there is in hospitality because it was an incredible experience to work there. And I just kept moving around in different kinds of restaurants and learning new things.”
What was your experience like on season 12?
“I was a ‘yes’ like from the minute they invited me back,” she says. “But then I think the weirdest part was when they announced new judges, and seeing Jock on there I was like, ‘Oh no, he's gonna torment me because he knows me and I've worked with him!’. So I was like, ‘Do I? Do I not?’. But I'm glad I said yes, I really am.
“I feel like I've got such incredible memories and happy memories from both seasons, but I did love going back for season 12. It was the experience and also walking into the kitchen every day not having that feeling in your stomach, that little knot like, ‘What if I go home today?’. You've got your career established, you’re there more for fun and to show what you've learned since and for me, I just felt like I was a completely different person.”
What stands out as a career highlight for you?
“We opened Fugazzi about two and a bit years ago now and I think that's definitely a career highlight,” she details. “It's like a New York Italian bistro kind of feel, it’s very beautiful, it’s huge.
“But doing it through Covid, I think if you can get through that challenge and come out the other end just as strong as when you first opened, I think that definitely tests you as a person and your relationship and how much you can put your body through. I’d say that's definitely been a huge career highlight, being able to balance two restaurants and not neglect one or the other. I feel like it's something to be proud of.”
SHOP:
What was your experience like as a chef on Snackmasters?
“I never thought I'd go back to reality TV, so it was actually really hard,” she admits. “I found Snackmasters harder than MasterChef.
“I only probably realised this towards the end of Snackmasters, but you really have to start thinking like a robot or like a factory, because you need to think of food in a completely different way… It’s like, I need this emulsifier, this flavour enhancer, I need fake colouring. Everything is so mass produced and they're all snacks, so you've got lots of little hidden things in there.
“Trying to change my mentality to that was actually really difficult, but it was fun. It makes you think in a different way and I love the challenge.”
What else is on your bucket list?
“I feel like my restaurant capacity is good. Hubby is like, ‘No, we’re gonna keep going’ and I’m like, ‘Yep, okay!’,” she laughs. “I also host an afternoon cooking show on 10 called My Market Kitchen, so I’ve doing that now for three years which I love.
“But for me, it's now hopefully from next year fingers crossed to get my own cooking show. [I’ve got] some really exciting things in the pipe works, I’m working on a cookbook as well. It’s just about me being me and showcasing my upbringing, my culture, and my love of food.
“And my big thing to highlight is my love of South Australia… I love SA and everything it has and it's just such an inspiring place to be when you are in food and wine as well, so the more I can highlight it and the more I can share with everyone around the country, the better.”
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