State: WA

Age: 26

Occupation: Financial Analyst

When Derek Lau set about making Katherine Sabbath’s acclaimed birthday cake from season 10, he knew he was in for a challenge. Despite the feat taking two days, he was thrilled with the outcome and admits following instructions in Pressure Tests could be his strength this season.

And while he knows he’ll have a little less time under the MasterChef clock, Derek is confident his sweet skills could take him all the way.

Born and raised in Perth, Derek is the youngest of four. There is a ten-year gap between Derek and his older siblings, and as the baby, Derek spent time as a child cooking at home with mum, crediting her with his early skills. Able to make simple meat and rice dishes, she also made great cakes, passing on her tips and tricks.

Excelling at maths, Derek graduated with a double Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Commerce from the University of Western Australia in 2014. Before heading into full-time work, he travelled through Europe and the United States for three months, remembering fondly the Texan restaurants dishing out incredible ribs cooked over fire pits.

Despite his preference for sweets, Derek loves BBQ meats and savoury meals. His brother lives in Singapore and Derek says there’s a hawker restaurant the pair still go to whenever he visits, which serves the most delicious congee – Chinese rice porridge.

While sweet treats are his strength, Derek admits his knowledge of different flavours and making sauces may be his weakness, often relying on cookbooks and recipes. And he has his fingers crossed for chocolate and berries under a Mystery Box, admitting his most feared ingredient would be squid.

In addition to Katherine Sabbath, Derek cites Adriano Zumbo and Gordon Ramsay as his culinary idols. When he’s not working and cooking, he enjoys 4WD driving, motorbike cruises and dim sum with his family on the weekend.