Age: 33

State: Victoria

Instagram: @darrshclarke 

Previous season & place: Season 16, placed 6th

Darrsh Clarke is hoping his back-to-back appearance in the MasterChef Australia kitchen isn’t the only ace up his sleeve this year. Following season 16, Darrsh relocated from Perth to Melbourne to give himself the best opportunity to chase his food dreams, immersing himself in Melbourne’s thriving culinary scene.

Darrsh also moved into a share house with none other than 2024 MasterChef Australia winner Nat Thaipun, and fellow contestant David Tan. The talented trio now cook each other gourmet meals for dinner, leading Darrsh to re-enter the competition ready to match it with some of the MasterChef Australia kitchen’s biggest names.

Fresh from his sixth placing last year, Darrsh is aware he’ll need to move fast in the kitchen to plate up his best dishes, multitasking and remaining focussed. Inspired behind the bench by chefs like Alex Atala and Jordi Roca, Darrsh is feeling invigorated to push himself each day and live up to his admission of being a curious cook.

Growing up the only child of Sri Lankan parents, Darrsh’s love of food was heavily influenced by his late father, a chef in an Indian restaurant whom Darrsh would watch in the kitchen, in awe. To this day, his Dad remains the biggest influence on how Darrsh approaches life - with passion and creativity. Having represented Western Australia in both basketball and volleyball over the years, Darrsh brings a finely tuned competitive edge to the kitchen that he will definitely need.

Though known for his high-level sweets game, Darrsh is ready to break the mould of just being the dessert guy, planning to showcase more creative and experimental dishes, taking risks and pushing boundaries in the kitchen to maximum effect. He will lean into his Sri Lankan heritage, and plate up both sweet and savoury dishes inspired by his heritage.

Outside of the kitchen Darrsh enjoys showcasing small bites fusing the best of Australian and Sri Lankan cuisine.