Anna Polyviou’s hot pink mohawk and her contagious personality are about as exhilarating to watch as her smashing an Anna’s Mess 2.0 on the table in front of one of the cleanest pastry chefs in the world — Amaury Guichon. The past few weeks, we’ve seen her wow the judges with her deceptive hot dog and grated cheese (or should we say, chocolate), Anna’s Mess 2.0, and her interpretation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s afternoon tea. Unfortunately, when Anna decided to show the judges her softer side with a trifle, the judges wanted more bang and less soft taps from the edgy pastry chef. Anna was then eliminated from the competition.
But all is well in Anna’s land, as she admits, “It was all fun and games.” She’s made new friends, or as she puts it, “family,” got to try some amazing food along the way, learned a lot from the judge’s comments, and got to flex her creative arm.
Anna Polyviou Reflects on MasterChef: Dessert Masters Journey
“I think if you do it for the trophy, then you lose the fun and creativity of the competition,” she says. “I just wanted to go in and be myself —win or lose, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Her trifle, with a Greek twist, was inspired by her family’s roots. “I wanted it to be pretty and elegant, with several different components,” she says. She lists off her elements: olive oil sorbet, biscuit crumbs, rice pudding. “I wanted it to be sexy.”
Unfortunately, it was the olive oil sorbet that the judges couldn’t get past, along with the fact that her trifle for three was served in one champagne glass.
When she first entered the kitchen, Polyviou admits she saw Reynold as her biggest competition. “He’s a freak! You know,” she says. “He’s so talented and disciplined, but Tibballs was also someone I saw as a top contender.”
As to what Anna is missing most about her time on MasterChef: Dessert Masters, it’s the time spent off camera as a team. She lists grabbing gelato together, Jess cooking dinner for everyone, and the camaraderie of the group as just some of her highlights.
Anna also admits to stealing the green room snacks when practicing running into the pantry. “I would grab the snacks and put them in my bag. I got away with it for a while but eventually got caught by the team,” she explains. “But they gave me even more snacks to take home, so it was just a fun time to be there — everyone got along.”
What Is Anna Polyviou Doing Now?
So what’s next for Anna? Well, she’s just released her ready-to-eat cookie dough tubs in Woolworths across Australia. She’s also crafting a dessert trolley for the members’ club at Accor Stadium, along with many other projects. And yes, we’ll most likely see her on TV again in the future.
Anna will also be finishing up her contract at The Langham, but is already on the lookout for her next hotel partnership.
“I sent my CV to some hotels for a bit of a laugh,” she admits. But in a more serious manner, Anna loves the hotel business.
“It makes me a better chef,” she says, before joking about whether she sent her CV correctly. “It’s been a while since I’ve sent one. I think I put Amaury down as a reference,” she chuckles.
MasterChef Australia: Dessert Masters airs Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays at 7.30pm, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand.
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