Brimbank could have its first official Masterchef thanks to Cairnlea’s TK. 81308 Picture: CONTRIBUTED
By LAURA WAKELY
SEARCHING for a recipe on the Masterchef website Tran Kim Nguyen saw a link to auditions for season three and thought it would be funny to give it a try.
But the joke is on the 22-year-old Cairnlea law student who is now in the top 24 of the Channel 10 cooking show.
Tran Kim, who goes by the nickname TK, dreams of opening an Asian-fusion tapas bar, but knows she has a long way to go.
TK said she always had a passion for food and cooking, but began getting serious after watching the previous seasons of Masterchef.
But watching the show hasn’t given her a leg-up in the competition.
“Being in the actual competition is completely surreal and of course, nothing like anyone would expect,” TK said.
She’s already had to learn the rules of the game quickly after she tried to impress the judges with her signature dish – crispy skinned duck with pomegranate sauce.
“I had an opportunity to make this dish on the show and tried to better the dish,” TK said.
“It was a failure, but it taught me to stick with what I know best rather than trying too hard to showcase something I’m not confident with.”
TK said living in Brimbank had given her the best grounding in food and named Alfreida St in St Albans, Footscray, Seddon and Yarraville as her favourite food haunts.
“I’ve grown up in the western suburbs and the culture is amazing; there are people from different traditions, backgrounds, nationalities everywhere and I do strongly believe it has influenced and broadened my food knowledge.”
While the West will no doubt get behind TK’s challenge to the Masterchef title, the contestant said she wouldn’t call herself a chef if she was to win.
“I would still stick to the idea of signing up at a culinary institute and move on to an apprenticeship,” TK said.
“Wanting to open up a restaurant would be fantastic, but being responsible about it is my priority.
“All of my food idols have put in the hard yards in order to get where they are today, and so I’d do the same.”
