Queensland, 27, Model

Fresh from traveling the world on glamorous modelling assignments, Sarah Todd lands in the MasterChef Australia kitchen with a point to prove, and a new future to create.

Growing up in Walkerston, near Mackay, Sarah and older brothers Matthew 31, a train driver and Stephen 33, a mining partner, were raised by single Mum Lorraine, a librarian. Dad Steve left to live in Japan when Sarah was two.

Sarah is very close to her Mum, Lorraine, who in recent years has battled and survived breast cancer. She is known as the ‘Pavlova Queen’, and taught Sarah to bake, sparking her sweet tooth.

Sarah was signed by a modelling agency at 18 and moved to Sydney to pursue her career. The past 10 years have seen her modelling on runways and shooting countless photo spreads for editorial and advertising campaigns.

Sarah met fiancé Devinder in 2008 and credits him with really reigniting her passion for food. With his Indian heritage, it was Devinder who taught her to play with flavours and learn to love experimenting in the kitchen.

In 2011 the pair welcomed son Phoenix, now three, whom Sarah calls her “little angel”. Following his birth Sarah says she “became obsessed with cooking and nourishing my boys”.

Moving to London in 2012, the family has lived together with Devinder’s parents outside of London, where Sarah has also learned the secrets of traditional Indian cuisine. She also completed a short course at Le Cordon Bleu’s London campus.

Becoming a mother made Sarah contemplate values in life. Modelling was an incredible career that gave her the opportunity to discover different cultures and cuisines and in turn fuelled her love of food.

“I have realised my passion and that I want to pursue it and create a career in the food industry.”

With a vision of becoming a world-class chef, ultimately with her own restaurant, Sarah wants to lift the ratio of female chefs in the culinary world..

Determined and calm in the kitchen, Sarah trusts her gut instincts and works well under pressure. She says she’s competitive, but also loves to share knowledge.

Sarah looks to an array of chefs for inspiration, including Nobu Matsuhisa, Marcus Waering, Angela Hartnett, Neil Borthwick, Phil Howard and Alla Wolf-Tasker.