South Australia Age: 27 Occupation: Urban Planner

As a child born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Kristen loved to help her grandmother with baking. When her family moved to Australia at age 13, her grandmother gave her a collection of handwritten recipes, which has formed the basis of her culinary education.

After high school, Kristen completed a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies and later a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning, graduating in 2014. Kristen says she loves the challenge and pressure of work, but her passion lands in the kitchen when she arrives home. An avid MasterChef Australia fan, Kristen says her own cooking ability has grown each year with the show.

Citing Jock Zonfrillo, Maggie Beer, Jordan Theodoros and Peter Gilmore as her culinary inspirations, Kristen loves to eat Vietnamese and her favourite dish is steamed bao buns.

Describing herself as a 50-50 cook with skills in both sweet and savoury styles, Kristen says she is particularly strong with seafood and admits she can make a spectacular chocolate cake.

Kristen loves to read, garden, watch AFL, head to the beach with friends and fish on her husband’s boat. She has left her husband Mark with an abundance of frozen meals and sole responsibility for their cat, Harry, while she is in the MasterChef Australia house.

Kristen’s dream is to one day own and operate her own small restaurant and wine bar on the Fleurieu Peninsula, which will feature a weekly changing menu depending on available produce.

Until then, she is keen to pack as much experience as she can into the MasterChef Australia kitchen, learning from the judges and esteemed group of guest judges set to walk through the doors.