A favourite of the competition, Kirsten Tibballs has created some of the most brutal and competition-changing pressure tests that have seen some of the most competent chefs lose their temper… their tempered chocolate, that is.
“The fact that Kirsten Tibballs is setting the challenge this early on just goes to show you the calibre at which we’re expected to perform, and that’s very, very daunting,” Sav told 10 Play. “On a regular season, Kirsten doesn’t appear until towards the end!”
Sav also noted that she has a “very complex relationship” with pressure tests. In her original season last year, she was eliminated attempting to recreate a Darren Purchese dish only to win her way back into the competition and compete in two further pressure tests.
“I’m not comfortable. I don’t think anyone’s comfortable with pressure tests, but some people take to them a bit better,” Sav said. “But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; it doesn’t matter what the challenge is. I don’t give up.”
As Kirsten lifted the cloche, she revealed a dish she made during her stint on Dessert Masters: a realistic-looking coffee and chocolate caviar tin complete with pearls, an edible tin, spoon, and melba toast.
Having formed pearls with cold oil before, Sav wasn’t concerned with making the caviar itself, but knew tempering chocolate would be a tricky pressure point in the recipe she had to get right or the dish wouldn’t be able to be assembled.
“It’s super technical, but there wasn’t a huge amount of elements, so there was literally nowhere to hide,” she explained, adding, “you can’t cut corners on a dessert like this.”
With the pressure on, Sav missed a vital step with her tins and left them on the bench rather than refrigerating them, causing her to have to retemper her chocolate and start again, putting her behind the other three chefs.
“Look, I hated that it wasn’t perfect, but I was actually really proud of myself that I got it done,” Sav admitted. “The tin was a bit wonky, the base was not as perfect as Kirsten’s, and I know I didn’t have enough time to be precise with my layers. I knew all that.
“But I am so done being self-critical in this kitchen, so I gave myself a pat on the back for getting it done. Not only finishing the tin but spray painting it gold as well.”
The second chef to hang up her apron this season, Sav said it was a bittersweet moment when the judges told her that she would be leaving the kitchen again, but the overwhelming feeling was a wave of relief.
“It’s hard to explain the feeling of being in the MasterChef kitchen because it’s a lot of pressure and it really tests your resilience, but it’s also this amazing, magical place and it pulls at your drive and ambition.
“I kept saying I wasn’t there for a long time, but I was there for a fun time and, my gosh, I had a lot of fun,” Sav laughed. “And meeting all these people I had admired across all these seasons, to be competing against them was absolutely wild!”
Competing in back-to-back seasons, Sav’s only big bucket list item was to make her Lamprais, which she was able to do in the semi-finals qualifier last year.
“I just needed a cook that would get me enough time to execute a Lamprais from scratch, that’s my life’s work, the crown jewel of Sri Lankan food, and I needed to make it,” she said. “To have that dish so loved, so well received and the explosion it had on social media as well, I did my part.”
“When I went on Masterchef in 2024, I knew who I was as a Sri Lankan cook, and I knew who I was with the burden of grief weighing heavily on my shoulders,” Sav continued. “The gorgeous thing about MasterChef was that I actually got to shed a lot of that grief during the process of cooking because I got to honour my mum so much, and I got to celebrate my culture so unapologetically with judges that were open to receiving that from me as well.
“To me, it feels like I’m beginning my life post-MasterChef properly now.”
In the short downtime she had between seasons, Sav did pop-ups, spent a lot of time in Sri Lanka forming plans and beginning the groundwork of opening her own restaurant, and has been a private chef full-time.
“I quit my job in the corporate world and started chefing full time. It’s really nice, I get to do all these different events and parties, and bring people together over food.”
MasterChef Australia: Back to Win continues Sundays at 7pm and Monday - Wednesday at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play
