38, Stay At Home Mum, SA

Heavily inspired by her Ukrainian and Russian heritage, Larissa Sewell’s biggest influence has been her babushka, whose sharing of traditions has shaped Larissa as both a woman and a cook.

Having fled their homeland during the Russian Revolution, three of Larissa’s grandparents resettled in the Xinjiang region of China. This fusion of cultures meant that Larissa was raised on a very unique melting pot of flavours. Time spent living and working in the USA and South Korea further informed her broad palate and diverse cooking style, which she describes as generous, abundant and flavourful.

With early food memories of harvesting and eating veggies still warm from her babushka and dedushka’s garden, after many years cooking and sharing stories together, Larissa remains inspired by her family’s passion for food, honouring her babushka’s memory whenever she cooks.

Previously a corporate trainer and English tutor, Larissa took time out of the workforce when she welcomed her twin boys Sasha and Misha, now both nine, with husband Troy. Since then, Larissa has sought more family-friendly work including running a small fruit and vegetable co-op, and a successful grazing platter business.

Living an urban farm lifestyle in Adelaide, complete with heirloom vegetables and heritage chickens, Larissa’s extended family live close by and it’s not uncommon for her to cook for 10 or more people most nights of the week.

Outside of family, Larissa looks up to cooks like Yotam Ottolenghi, Maeve O’Meara and Nigella Lawson. Creative by nature, she has a passion for photography and pottery and looks forward to flexing her creative muscle in the MasterChef kitchen.

With a dream to one day open a small cooking school, Larissa also hopes to travel and write about food and culture.