Victoria Age: 46 Occupation: Travel Manager

Until two years ago, travel manager Jo was living in the city that never sleeps, New York, and says the experience as a foodie was one in a million.

Based in Manhattan and then across the river in Hoboken for five years, Jo says the melting pot of cuisines on offer meant an endless array of choice and experience to learn.

Travelling the country regularly meant she ate and learnt about BBQ in Nashville, Cuban dishes in Miami, and noodle and ramen bars in the city. With such a variety of flavours and food on offer, she says her best food memories were created in those years.

It is a long way from Katherine in the Northern Territory where Jo was born, before moving to Darwin where she was raised. Throughout her 20s and 30s, Jo lived extensively across Australia, based for a time in Port Douglas, Adelaide and Brisbane, before she headed to the US.

In 2015 she returned to Australia, but not before a self-described foodie tour took her to Mexico, on safari through Namibia and Zambia, into Morocco and through northern Italy.

Basing herself in Brisbane briefly before relocating to Melbourne in 2016, Jo admits she sees herself as a nomad, always happy to move and chase a new adventure and dream.

A lover of Gordon Ramsay who she says has an utter focus on perfection, Jo also cites David Chang from Momofuku as her culinary inspiration.

Her passion for travel leads to her food dream and she hopes when her MasterChef Australia journey comes to an end, she can combine her two great loves and create travel culinary tours for foodies across Australia and overseas. She hopes the experience will offer market and kitchen tours, and she can host cooking classes with local chefs.