On Sunday night, John Demetrios took out the top spot with a near-perfect final score of 38 out of a potential 40 points from judges Melissa Leong and Amaury Guichon.
Standing at the grand finale alongside fellow finalists Christy Tania and Emelia Jackson, John knew his work was cut out for him. With five hours on the clock, the trio had to create five servings of a two-course menu inspired by Australia – one green and one gold.
“I basically spent the whole experience super nervous and stressed,” John told 10 Play, “so by the time it got to the grand finale I was proud to be there and just tried my best to enjoy the moment.
“I knew it was going to be my last time cooking there, so I didn’t want to lose that being stressed. I just got into the flow of it all and had a good time.”
Having watched the first season of Dessert Masters last year, John was buzzing when he was asked to join the cast of this season. “I loved that they had such a different array of pastry chefs, different skill sets all in the same room. I knew I wanted to be part of that,” he said.
But it wasn’t too long until he realised how completely different the experience was watching on the couch compared to sprinting around the pantry and battling the clock.
“I took this as an opportunity to show myself and what I had to offer,” John continued. “Obviously it’s a massive platform and I tried not to think about that too much. But it was a chance to show another side of me,” he explained.
From the get-go, John emerged as one to watch in the competition, blowing the judges away with his Nuts About Coconut dish in the very first episode, earning him the only advantage in the season. “I came out of the gates and let them know I was a contender,” he added with a laugh.
Ahead of walking into the Dessert Masters kitchen, having never competed in something like it before, John said he was hungry for the win, but that all changed once he was standing behind the bench. “Once I was in, it was actually not about winning anymore, the experience itself was just so good.
“The trail to the grand finale became a bit more competitive but, at the same time, we had such an amazing friendship within the group that I would not have been disappointed if someone else took the prize.”
In the final challenge, John wanted to pay homage to his home of Melbourne, in both the inspiration for his dishes and the flavours used. For his green dish, John used the memory of a fig tree in his childhood home to create ‘Can You Fig It?’
Comprised of a fig leaf ice cream on top of a white chocolate cremeaux, featuring native ingredients like lemon myrtle and topped off with a fig leaf oil.
In his gold dish, John was inspired by the Victorian gold rush era, plating up his ‘Eureka’ featuring flavours of whiskey, brown butter, chocolate, caramel and malted barley, housed in a pastry goldmine.
“I didn’t realise this about myself until I watched the season back but I quite enjoy telling stories through my dishes,” John said. “I realised it was something that was happening naturally, even though I wasn’t purposefully trying to do that.
“When it came to the green and gold challenge, I saw it as a chance to show where I’m from and I really wanted to play on that in different ways for both of the dishes.”
Leaning into his ability to tame bold flavours, John wowed the judges on both dishes, earning him a whopping final score, and a result that shocked him completely.
“I almost didn’t know how to react or if it was real, but I was absolutely blown away,” he admitted.
Along with the title of Dessert Master, John won himself a $100,000 prize. “The money is a game-changer, it can really set me up on a different path.
“I’ve always wanted to open a bakery with my wife, and I think this is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for,” he added.
Looking back, John is not only thankful for his time in the kitchen but the outpouring of love and support from fans watching. “The response has been amazing,” he said. “That’s actually given me a lot more confidence. Everything has been super positive, it’s been a great experience.”
Watch full seasons of Dessert Masters on 10 Play.
