On Monday night, alongside Dilruk Jayasinha, Rebecca was sadly eliminated right before the Grand Finale, but she could barely wipe the smile off her face.
“It was all about doing the best I can, getting out of my comfort zone, pushing myself to be a better cook and I did all of those things,” Rebecca told 10 play. “I accomplished all of those things and I was really surprised I got as far as I did!
“Who would have thought the girl that served up white bread would have ended up in the semi-final! I think there was a little bit of luck thrown in — a lot of luck — but I worked really hard, all of us did.”
After a long day in the kitchen, Rebecca said she’d go home and Google tips and tricks, spend her weekends practicing recipes and is now a much better cook because of her MasterChef experience.
“My husband thinks I jinxed myself by saying ‘If I go out now I go out happy’ but I genuinely meant it,” she added. “I think the perfect three people are in the final, they’re absolutely deserving.
“The fact that I did manage to fluke it and, there were times where I actually flourished under pressure. I didn’t think I was capable of doing that.”
Not only did Rebecca admit to bettering her skills in the kitchen but she also learned a lot about herself, and made lifelong friends during the competition.
“In the times of COVID, like most people, I was feeling a bit flat about everything so to walk into that kitchen and be so supported, so encouraged and so loved straight away, it was just a really incredible experience and I’d do it all again.
“Despite the hives I had for three and a half weeks, the burns and the stress, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat,” she said, laughing.
Aside from the skills she picked up during the competition, Rebecca also said her relationship with food and cooking completely evolved in the MasterChef kitchen.
“Being the youngest of six children I grew up always shovelling my food in and never really enjoying it. I love going out to fine dining and I love restaurants where you can really relax and enjoy but, for me, cooking has always just been a basic function,” she said.
“To actually learn so much from the judges where they kept talking about connecting with the food and focusing your love on the food, when you start doing that and realise it’s such a pleasurable thing and you cook so much better.
“To then be able to present that to the people you love, and watch them enjoy that, there’s kind of nothing better really!”
For anyone who has been inspired by the celebs and what they’ve been able to achieve in the challenges, Rebecca said her biggest piece of advice is to simply take the pressure off yourself.
“I still refer to recipes all the time but I also have started trusting my instincts a little more,” she explained. “More butter, more seasoning, taste the food as you go.
“Be creative and enjoy It! If it doesn’t work out the first time, just get it right the second time and have fun with it. That’s my biggest thing, relax and enjoy it!”
While her time in the kitchen was hilarious, inspiring and often a little chaotic, Rebecca was also competing in support of the Lighthouse Foundation, an organisation that provides homes and care to children and young people experiencing homelessness or impacted by long-term neglect or abuse.
“That’s probably the only downside of not getting through to the final, that I didn’t make some money for my charity,” Rebecca said. “It’s a wonderful charity looking after our young people in Victoria.”
