NSW, 36, Tattoo Artist

For someone who only started cooking six years ago, Pete Campbell has come a long way. Knowing he wanted more from life, in 2015 Pete quit his corporate job of 10 years and he and wife Alana took a massive leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles with a two-year-old daughter and another baby on the way.

After hanging up his suit and tie, Pete sought a more laid back and creative way to make a living, opening a coffee shop and retraining as a tattoo artist. He even tattooed his hands to make sure he never ended up back at a desk job he hated.

Falling in love with food when he and his wife travelled across Europe, Asia and USA in 2013, the pair made a point of eating at fine-dining restaurants in each city. Pete discovered an appreciation of food as art, noticing how their dining experiences had the potential to truly change their outlook on a city.

A self-taught cook, Pete has developed a deeper understanding of techniques and flavour pairings in the past two years. A lover of classic cuisines, he boasts a savoury palate with a strong gut instinct and excels at planning and time management.

In the grip of the global pandemic Pete and Alana decided to return to Australia and arrived back in late 2020. Without a job to return to, Pete applied for MasterChef Australia and is now on a new path back on home soil.

A devoted dad to Scout (seven-years-old) and Lux (four-years-old), Pete constantly tells his daughters to do scary things because it will lead to a life of doing what you love.

As the youngest of four kids, Pete grew up on the NSW Central Coast and would only eat meat and potatoes, but now dreams of opening a wine bar on Sydney’s northern beaches, serving beautiful share plates and providing a welcoming space for locals and visitors alike.