Victoria, 31, Sales Manager

Zoe has reached a now-or-never moment. Talked out of becoming a chef by her mum as a teenager, she is now determined to make food her future.

From a Greek Cypriot background, Zoe’s paternal grandparents immigrated to Australia in the 1950s to flee the war in Cyprus, while her maternal grandparents immigrated here in the 1960s to also seek a better life. She describes her upbringing with mum and dad as very European, not speaking English until she went to kindergarten. As her parents both worked full-time, she spent a lot of time with her grandmother who would pick young Zoe up from school and they would often cook together.

Zoe has beautiful memories of helping her grandmother with massive Greek Easter feasts, complete with making their own cheeses and Easter cakes.

Receiving her first cookbook when she was seven years old, Zoe was cooking family meals by the age of 12, often having dinner on the table when her parents arrived home from work.

After school, Zoe started various university degrees before gaining a Bachelor of Arts from La Trobe University, but she was never really passionate about it. She drifted in and out of various jobs before her mum and step dad offered her the chance to work for them in their sporting equipment distribution business. Zoe’s entrepreneurial spirit took hold and she had soon convinced them to open a retail side of the business, which she has now run independently in Melbourne’s Fitzroy for two years.

Supported on her culinary journey by her husband of two years, Marcus, Zoe has big plans ahead. She would love her own breakfast and brunch deli style café in Melbourne, serving simple, tasty food that is close to her heart.