Age: 27

State: Queensland

Occupation: Coffee Roaster

Growing up in Queens, NYC, Josh Clarke cites both his Irish Mum Caroline and Jamaican Dad Jason as his foodie inspirations. When the kitchen bench was at chin height, Josh watched his mother work hard at an Irish pub in NYC, while his Dad expanded their rich culture at home by adding his Jamaican flair to every meal, making Caribbean cuisine a significant part of Josh’s cultural norm growing up.

Leaving college early to backpack across the world, Josh sampled all manner of interesting and authentic foods across the globe including Iceland, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Mexico, Canada, Vietnam, Thailand and of course, Australia. It was on a farm in Byron Bay in 2018 that Josh met and fell for his now wife Laura, and the rest is history.

Josh became an instant family man, adopting his first child Hosanna, now seven, and going on to have son Kingsley, now three, and daughter Winslow, aged one. As dad to three young children, Josh is used to being amongst chaos, but always finds being in the kitchen his place of calm and zen. He loves that he can instil in his kids a love of food, teaching them important life skills.

Laura is very supportive of Josh, encouraging him to chase his food dream. In fact, it was Laura who secretly started filling out Josh’s application to join the competition.

While the demands of parenthood delayed his chance to chase a chef’s apprenticeship, Josh is excited for opportunities that the MasterChef Australia kitchen will open up, chasing a different career path with renewed vigour.

Taking inspiration from chefs like Matt Sinclair, Roy Choi, Andy Hearnden, Joshua Weissman and Matty Matheson, the judges can expect Spanish influences from Josh’s food, plus Asian and Mexican, as he celebrates spice and zing.

Tapping into memories will be key for Josh in the kitchen, calling on the emotions and flavours that have made their mark on him over the years, especially those shared with his Dad.

Laid back and spontaneous by nature, Josh expects to remain cool under pressure as he wrangles big, bold flavours and showcases his take on fusion of American, Aussie and Latino influences.