‘A classic self-mythologiser’: the larger-than-life story of Jock Zonfrillo

Best known as the charismatic, tattooed MasterChef judge with the smooth Scottish brogue – and for his heavy use of Indigenous ingredients in fine dining – Jock Zonfrillo has taken the world of Australian food by storm.

“His persona is like him: super-confident, self-assured and composed, but competent,” says Good Weekend senior writer Tim Elliott. “He’s very much a performer.” He has a fantastical personal history, too, with a growing public presence as someone “who lived through it all” – excess, addiction, ambition – whilst working his guts out in some of the hardest kitchens in the world, as detailed in his new memoir, Last Shot.

“He’s a classic self-mythologiser, who has a great back story to build a profile off right now as this wild man,” says Elliott, who recently shadowed Zonfrillo on the set of MasterChef. “Everybody does that to a degree, I guess, but he’s particularly convincing. His book is full of incident and danger and outlandish twists. It’s kind of like a mix between Trainspotting and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. But it’s hard to tell where memory serves him well. It’s such a long time ago, a lot of these incidents.”

Profiling Zonfrillo actually became a difficult experience for Elliott, as many of the characters in the celebrity chef’s life story had differing recollections of his tumultuous narrative. “But it was really interesting because that’s human nature, and you’re ultimately writing about humans,” he says. “Human beings are inherently unreliable.”

Loading

Elliott was speaking on the latest episode of Good Weekend Talks, with moderation by Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland and commentary from veteran food writer and Good Weekend contributor Dani Valent. The podcast explores everything from the cult of the celebrity chef to the growing use of native ingredients – and who has the right to commercialise them.

Elliott’s cover story for Good Weekend this Saturday – “From heroin addict to celebrity chef – the fantastical life of Jock Zonfrillo” – reminded Valent of her own experience eight years ago, profiling British chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White, whose own charismatic persona was forged in the same “pirate-like” kitchen culture. “It’s like an underworld,” Valent says. “Whatever happens in the cave stays in the cave, to some degree.”

Good Weekend Talks offers readers the chance to delve even deeper each week into Good Weekend’s most intriguing stories, with lively insight from writers, editors and experts. Listen to more episodes by subscribing to Good Weekend Talks wherever you get your podcasts.