Age: 62

State: Queensland

Occupation: Tour Guide

Stepping into the MasterChef Australia kitchen has been a dream many years in the making for Stephen “Steve” Dennis. Sixteen in fact.

Steve got the call up to be a part of season one of MasterChef Australia, but Mother Nature intervened in the form of a cyclone, conspiring against him travelling to join the competition. A sliding doors moment kept him from season two and then (a very adventurous!) life got in the way. But Steve never let go of his dream and at 62, as the oldest contender this year, he is here to prove that there is no upper limit to going after what you want in life.

Steve has had all manner of jobs over the years. After working in the printing industry things took an exotic turn as he found himself wrangling emus and working with crocs (see his necklace as proof!). He ran an eco-lodge, led tours through the Daintree rainforest, was a dive boat manager, and most recently, ran his own tour business. Throughout it all, he is grateful to have had the love and support of wife Gillian who has followed his wild work across the country and is now cheering him on in this kitchen adventure.

Father to two adult sons, Steve has been fortunate to travel the world with work, experiencing many cuisines on his travels. Japanese and French are amongst his favourites, the former for its simplicity and the latter for its complexity.

A self-taught cook, Steve’s cookbook collection tallies upwards of 70 and he says it all started with his Mum Dahlas gifting him the Australian Women’s Weekly cookbook at age 18, a resource which, to this day he still treasures.

Steve’s experimentation in the kitchen progressed, and his love of Australian native ingredients sits in tandem with his favourite refined flavours, like black truffles. Steve and Gillian entertain most weekends and guests can be guaranteed Steve’s dishes will be packed full of umami.

A fan of icons of the kitchen like Marco Pierre White, Rick Stein and Peter Gilmore, at this point in his life, Steve can see a future where he could bring his food dream to fruition, a small restaurant called Table For 8ight, where he would cook for guests in an intimate setting.