Western Australia PhD Student @theveryhungrycoeliac

Melanie Persson is on a mission to show gluten free food can still pack a punch. Diagnosed with coeliac disease five years ago, she admits there was a learning curve, but one this WA native has overcome, and now she’s here to showcase the variety and skills in cooking without gluten. Following her MasterChef Australia journey, she dreams of publishing cookbooks that show how to prepare beautiful, complex dishes that don’t compromise on flavour.

Born in Perth, Melanie was two when her family moved to Nagano Prefecture in Japan for three years before returning to Western Australia. They settled in Dunsborough, a small town in the southwest of the state near Margaret River where Melanie completed school. Following high school she spent a year in the Italian city of Milan before returning home to start university. She’s been cooking ever since she could reach the kitchen bench and her food and tastes have been influenced by her experiences in Japan and Italy.

Largely self-taught from television cooking shows and social media, Melanie loves to watch the work of Massimo Bottura, Adam Liaw, Matt Adlard, Marion Grasby and Rick Stein, and says making it to Finals Week would be the icing on this gluten free cake.

Although she loves reading and writing, Melanie admits her pursuit of a PhD in literature means she often doesn’t get the chance to indulge in these hobbies for pleasure. Instead, she spends her free time cooking for her partner, friends, and family; getting out and about with her dogs; and playing boardgames and social sports.

With a love of languages, she speaks Japanese and Italian, and has recently started learning Spanish with the hope that she’ll be able to travel to South America soon.