“Who better to ask where we should get our sweet fix than the Dessert Masters themselves?” — that was the plan as we went into our MasterChef: Dessert Masters planning. Little did we know at the time, we were about to stumble upon a secret. Barely any of our favourite Dessert Masters actually have a sweet tooth!
Over the course of the season, we asked the contestants for their best recommendations, only to find that many of them aren’t actually that interested in sweets! It seemed wild to us, but hey, we guess if you’re around it all day, you wouldn’t either.
Still, we did manage to wrangle some recommendations out of them. Spoiler alert: they all love gelato, which makes sense! Over the season, most of them spoke fondly of their late-night gelato runs with their fellow contestants. Who can forget Zumbo’s nickname, “three scoops.”
Without further ado, here’s what our Dessert Masters had to say.
Adriano Zumbo
Adriano Zumbo is renowned for his intricate dessert creations, but rarely ventures out for dessert.
Instead, he opts for the homemade route, confessing, “I have a gelato churner on my bench, and I just make it myself. But the reality is I don’t eat much dessert.”
Anna Polyviou
Anna is our only self-confessed sweet tooth. With a penchant for gelato, frequents Mapo Gelato in Newtown, Sydney. Yet, her dessert adventures don’t stop there. She’s also a big fan of Salma’s Canteen, and thankfully, she’s got the hook up.
“I’ll ask for one cake, and Andy will give me a box full!” she laughs.
Anna also has a guilty pleasure — devouring her new Woolies cookie dough, straight from the tub.
Andy Bowdy
For Andy, simplicity reigns in his dessert choices. Basic yet delightful, the Sydneysider enjoys ice cream from Mapo Gelato in Newtown and savours a muesli slice and lemon curd from Fleetwood Macchiato in Erskineville.
Morgan Hipworth
Morgan’s dessert preferences remain a sweet mystery, but he sheds light on his unique approach.
“I never go and buy desserts,” he says. “If I want something, I’m just gonna take it from my bakery. Maybe that’s kind of weird, but that is what it’s like when you’re around sweet so much. Honestly, all you crave is savoury.”
Kirsten Tibballs
Kirsten is a fan of Nomad Melbourne, and praises their spectacular desserts. Meanwhile, for patisserie cravings, her go-to spot is Bibelot in South Melbourne, where an enticing array of sweet temptations awaits.
Kay-Lene Tan
“I don’t have a sweet tooth,” Kay-Lene confesses.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and for Kay-Lene, it’s all about the glutenous rice dumplings at 216 Bedok Market when she’s back in Singapore.
Gareth Whitton
While our Dessert Master isn’t exactly a self-proclaimed sweet tooth, Garreth does have a weakness for ice cream. His Melbourne favourites include Kariton Sorbetes in Footscray, and Kori Ice Cream in Camberwell.
Jess Liemantara
Jess Liemantara’s dessert love centres around Melbourne’s Hareruya Pantry, specifically the mochi ice cream. However, her current favourite spot is Bakemono on Lonsdale Street, where she professes to adore everything on the menu.
Reynold Poernomo
Poernomo admits he doesn’t have a sweet tooth, but when the opportunity presents itself, he will happily dig into a basque cheesecake from Fiora Cakes.
While MasterChef: Dessert Masters may be over for 2023, the good news is that it will be back in 2024. Network Ten confirmed the show’s renewal at its upfronts in October.
Until then, you can relive the sugar rush with all episodes of MasterChef: Dessert Masters streaming now on 10 Play.
Want more MasterChef Australia? Read all our content here and the stories below:
- ‘MasterChef Australia’ Confirms New Judging Panel for 2024
- Sugar Crashes — Who’s Been Eliminated from ‘MasterChef: Dessert Masters’?
- How Much Do You Get Paid on ‘MasterChef Australia’?
- Adriano Zumbo Has Found the Silver Lining of His ‘MasterChef: Dessert Masters’ Elimination
- Anna Polyviou Recouped Her ‘Dessert Masters’ Loss By Stealing Snacks From the Green Room
- Andy Bowdy Wants You to Know His Desserts Are More Complex Than You Might Think
- Kirsten Tibballs Didn’t Want to Do ‘Dessert Masters’, Here’s What Changed Her Mind
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