MasterChef contestant and Beaches local Declan Cleary reveals how his day job as a carpenter helped him deal with the pressure.
With his toothy grin and boundless energy, chippy-turned-chef extraordinaire Declan Cleary, 25, has been the star of this year’s MasterChef.
Having grown up watching his favourite chefs such as Anthony Bourdain, Curtis Stone and Josh Niland on the box, the Queenscliffe local says there were some real ‘pinch me’ moments on the famous Network 10 show.
“The whole thing has been surreal and my passion for food has grown a lot more,” Declan tells Peninsula Living. “Never in a million years did I see myself on TV, yet I’ve been sitting at home watching myself on there every night!”
His friendship with ‘Uncle’ Robbie Cooper, the 65-year-old proud Iwaidja youth support worker, warmed the cockles of viewers’ hearts, and Declan says he was like his ‘roomie’.
“Robbie was a great role model for me,” he says. “We were in interconnecting apartments and he was like my roomie. We’d have a debrief and cup of tea after filming. He’s so wise and being indigenous, Robbie’s knowledge of native food, spices and living off the land is extraordinary. I’ve learnt a lot from him.”
Declan won an ‘immunity pin’ to save from future elimination by beating professional chef and friend of Chris Hemsworth, Sergio Perera, and reveals how his career as a carpenter helped him deal with the pressure when the heat was on in the famous kitchen.
“MasterChef is a walk in the park compared to being an apprentice carpenter,” he laughs. “It’s nothing compared to being screamed at by bosses when you’re 16. That hones your intuition skills, especially when it comes to getting something right the first time, and I took a lot of that into the kitchen with me.”
With some recipes over 10 pages-long and with more than 300 steps, Declan says the Tokyo Lamington Tower and ‘Messinetta’ were particularly tricky, and he still has not mastered ice cream.
“I’ve never made it prior to the show and it’s still not perfect. It’s either too eggy or it splits.”
At home, the former student of St Augustines College, Brookvale is a regular at Oceana Traders in Avalon and Tender Gourmet Butchery in Warringah Mall, and rustles up feasts for his family, friends and girlfriend, Talya Santos. Although, during MasterChef filming, which required 10-hour shifts in the studio, Declan wasn’t so keen on donning his apron once home.
“When I got back, I said, ‘I’m not cooking for weeks!’,” he jokes.
The MasterChef family is still coming to terms with the loss of much-loved judge and chef Jock Zonfrillo, who died unexpectedly in April, aged 46. Declan reveals: “There hasn’t been a day gone by when someone hasn’t messaged or checked in to see how we’re going,” he says.
“Whether it’s Robbie calling, or the other contestants, we had such great camaraderie and always check in with each other.
“We were just lucky to spend the time with Jock that we did, and we keep his wife and children in our thoughts at all times.”