Singapore-born siblings bond over competitive cooking on MasterChef Australia
Photo by MasterChef Australia
Having lived in several countries across the world, two Singapore-born siblings have come full circle on the eighth season of MasterChef Australia to bond over their love for food and experiences from the popular cooking show.
Forty-nine year old sustainability specialist Jimmy Wong and his sister, 44-year-old housewife Theresa Visintin, are competing in the latest season of the famous television franchise after having lived separately for most of their lives.
The siblings moved from Singapore to Canada when they were young, and then to Sydney, where their parents ran a grocery store and restaurant when they were teenagers.
Visintin later moved to Western Australia for six years and subsequently to Canada after she married her Italian husband.
Visintin, a graphic design and fine arts graduate, is also a former actress who used to star in the well-known Australian soap opera, “Home and Away”.
Meanwhile, Wong travelled frequently to places like Taiwan and Malaysia due to his former job as a retail store designer for a string of high-end brands such as Dior, Burberry and Nina Ricci.
After having freed themselves up from most of their job and family commitments — Wong, who is now the head of social sustainability at LendLease Asia, and Visintin, whose children aged 14, 15 and 18 have grown to become more independent youths — are finally ready to pursue their culinary dreams together.
In a phone interview with Yahoo Singapore, the food-loving siblings prove that while things can get quite heated in the competition, the temperature is pretty cool between the two.
“It’s incredible to be able to go through the journey together with your sister. There’s definitely that bonding element, especially with food and the experiences we gained from the competition,” said Wong.
“Being on the show with my brother gives me that grounding element. The familiarity you get when your brother is around helps when you’re feeling nervous, scared or uncertain about your cooking decisions,” said Visintin.
Photo by MasterChef Australia
The siblings have also discovered some disadvantages of being on the show together.
“Especially during elimination, the stress levels get intensified for us siblings in some ways. We also tend to get pivoted against each other,” said Wong.
“The disadvantage would be the emotional burden when you have your sibling on the show with you. It’s not just about being nervous about your own cooking, but your brother’s too. You always want to make sure that both of you are doing well,” said Visintin.
Wong also said that he does not look forward to competing head on with his own sister, despite being better than her in some ways.
“As a cook who travels, I had the opportunity to be exposed to different types of foods. Another advantage is that I also come from a design background so food plating is very important to me,” said Wong.
Visintin too has the upper hand in some aspects when it comes to food. She said, “I love baking. I bake a lot of fresh bread and I make my own pizza. I also have a good understanding of desserts. My brother is not as strong in the dessert realm.”
The sibling rivalry also extends to their choice of Singapore food. While Wong thinks chicken rice is the best Singapore dish, Visintin prefers laksa.
MasterChef Australia Season 8 premiers on 4 July on the Lifetime channel (Starhub TV Ch 514) on weekdays at 8pm (SIN/HK).
