Actress turned chef

Actress Theresa Vistin, who was an Aussie soap star in the 90's, came back to the small screen with the hit competitive cooking show MasterChef Australia - Season 8, which is airing on Star World; Theresa was selected in the show as a wild card entry.

Talking about the inspiration to take part in MasterChef she shares: “I have loved the show since it started and it inspired me to cook more and after seeing the growth of the past contestants, I wanted to see how much I can push myself to grow as a cook!”

She says that she admires Chef Daniel Humm in general and loves Heston's fun expression of food in the show.

Theresa’s brother Jimmy Wong was also a part of the show. That was the first time that the show had two sibling contestants. About her brother in the kitchen with her, she says, “It was great having Jimmy's happy face around the MasterChef house. Nice to have a coffee with him in the mornings and know he could understand how I was feeling!”

“It was nice having Jimmy’s support and hugs during all the intense challenges but it was hard cooking against him and feeling the burden of wanting each other to do well and be safe every time,” she adds.

Speaking about her experience in the show she shares, “I loved it! It was a lot harder adapting to the pressure than I thought it would be! It isn't a normal cooking environment but it sure pushes you to get better quickly! There are the many heartbreaks along the way, but the highs are incredible.”

Theresa started acting in her 20's after being spotted by an agent in a clothing store. “I auditioned for a few roles and managed to land a role on ‘Home & Away’, which was followed by ‘GP’ on the ABC for season 5.”

Talking about continuing her acting career she says, “Once you’ve caught the acting bug it's hard not to love it! I've been acting on and off ever since. I just love it.”

About what she likes more, acting or cooking she says, “They are so different; it's hard to pick one over the other. I'd love to always do both!”

Theresa says that in future she plans to work in culinary media, cooking videos and any other opportunities to combine her love for food and the entertainment industry that she has been in. She also would like to organise cooking classes.

By: Askari Jaffer