Age: 43

State: Tasmania

Occupation: Butcher

Affectionately known as “Pezza”, Josh Perry is a small-town butcher from Smithton, Tasmania, with big food dreams.

Not work-shy, Josh is accustomed to 10 to 12 hour days, six days a week at the helm of his butcher shop, Perry’s Quality Meats. This former livestock agent fattens his own cattle to sell, on what he calls God’s country, loving nothing more than cooking with homegrown, grass-fed Tasmanian beef and locally harvested seafood, with fresh abalone also a favourite.

The shop is a family affair, where Josh is flanked by his wife of 20 years and best friend Jen, and their two adult sons who have also worked alongside him. Family is everything to Josh and he loves nothing better than Sundays, when the whole family gathers for a big cook up – catering for Josh’s four adult and teenaged kids, right down to his three young grandkids.

The family are right behind Josh on his MasterChef Australia journey, and he is beyond grateful to them, knowing that they are all sacrificing and stepping up so that he can be in the MasterChef Australia kitchen to chase his dream.

Looking up to food icons including Rick Stein, Neil Perry, Maggie Beer and Jamie Oliver – Josh loves simple food executed well and, while savoury may be his strength, he is here to learn and will be looking to expand his pastry skills.

Taught to cook with love by his Mum, Nan and Aunt, Josh has been inspired by the matriarchs of his family and hopes to do them proud in the MasterChef Australia kitchen.

With pastimes outside the kitchen spanning football, fishing and riding motorbikes, this salt of the earth cook dreams of opening a small paddock-to-plate style restaurant in Tasmania.

Intent on soaking up every minute of the experience, Josh is conscious of just how rare an opportunity this is to expand his horizons. He knows that the competition will be a test of just how good a cook he is, and he is ready to absorb the pressure and step up to the challenge for this once in a lifetime shot.