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If you’re watching MasterChef this season, you’ll definitely know and love 22-year-old Jess Liemantara.
Despite being the youngest cook in the competition, she continues to stand out like fellow contestants Poh Ling Yeow and Reynold Poernomo, blowing the judges away with both sweet and savoury dishes (hello, pimped up noodles).
If you’re not watching this season of MasterChef, here’s what you’re missing. Post continues below.
But there’s plenty more to the bubbly young chef than just great cooking.
Here’s everything you need to know about Jess Liemantara.
Jess was born in Perth, but at the age of one, her parents and brother Jeremy relocated to Melbourne. She was raised in an Indonesian family.
She was introduced to cooking at a very young age, as her parents opened up a restaurant called Taste of Java in Perth and then later, the Foodtopia Fusion Cafe in Melbourne, which specialised in Thai, Malay and Indonesian cuisine. Her grandmother and aunt taught her how to bake as a kid, introducing her to the world of sweets.
“My brother and I both helped my parents in the restaurant, I managed floor operations, till management and barista [duty] and my brother worked as the chef along with my dad. My mum took on the role as the boss and inspired my brother and I to pursue being entrepreneurs ourselves,” Jess told the Australia Indonesia Youth Association.
And after all her practice working for her parents, by 17 she was a food and beverage attendant at the world-renowned Japanese restaurant Nobu in Melbourne.
“Being on the other side as a waitress is [very] different to the level of intensity, and is not as stressful as being the kitchen. The chefs work extremely hard to make sure food is consistent and of high quality,” she explained.
However, clearly cooking became her real passion, as she began teaching herself different culinary tools.
“I’ve never been great at school but I excel in food technology. Before I knew it, I had so much knowledge and technique drilled into my head. I just couldn’t stop myself from learning more and more about different techniques such as glazing, tempering chocolate and making macarons,” she told Berries and Spice.
After seeing the chefs in that kitchen and teaching herself some skills at home and school, Jess realised that intensity was what she craved, which led her to audition for another iconic cooking show.
In 2017, Jess applied for The Great Australian Bake Off. However, after getting knocked back, she applied for MasterChef season 10.
“The opportunity to audition for MasterChef 2018 came along and friends and family pushed me to audition for the show. I didn’t feel fit enough for the opportunity just after not going further in my recent audition for The Great Australian Bake Off. After much nagging and support from family and friends I decided to give it a go.
“I handed in my application and after a month received an email requesting to schedule in an audition. From then on I was short listed to the top 50 contestants to cook for the three judges. To this day I still cannot believe the amazing journey that got me to that very special day,” she explained.
During her audition, Jess won over Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris with her chocolate orange mousse, and successfully received an apron and a top 24 spot on-air.
Jess continued to cook phenomenal, whimsical desserts and killer Asian dishes throughout the season until she ended up coming fourth overall. She was 19-years-old at the time.
“Being the youngest in the competition was definitely hard. I had the MasterChef family who constantly got me through each day no matter how tough or scary it was. I felt like regardless of age, we were a great bunch of contestants who treated one another like their own brother and sister. They made my journey so fun and such an emotional rollercoaster,” Jess said.
And despite missing out on the winning title, Jess won life-long friends in Brendan Pang and Reece Hignell.
The trio are nicknamed ‘The Audreys’, which Reece explained came from matching toy monkeys named Audrey that Jess bought them.
After appearing on season 10, Jess gained as much experience as possible.
“Having quit my previous job as a waitress, I wanted to pursue my passion as a chef. I searched for work experience and was lucky enough to do be able to undertake professional experience at The Press Club and Omnom,” Jess shared.
Later, she paired up with Peter Rowland Catering to create ‘Jess Lemon by Peter Rowland,’ an online dessert range, and was a guest chef at a number of catering events.
In October 2019, Jess released her first cookbook, A Zest of Jess.
Now, Jess is back in the MasterChef kitchen, cooking for the winning title in this season of MasterChef: Back to Win.
So far, she has cooked some incredible dishes including her most recent winner, a duck red curry that won her an immunity pin.
Oh, and we get to witness the most wholesome friendship on television again. The Audreys are back together!
Read more about MasterChef 2020:
- “People didn’t realise it was me.” Everything we know about MasterChef’s Reece Hignell.
- A health scare and a career sacrifice: Everything we know about MasterChef’s Sarah Tiong.
- A ‘MasterChef injury’ and a new romance: Everything we know about fan favourite Brendan Pang.
- “There is pressure to get engaged.” Everything we know about MasterChef’s Reynold Poernomo.
Feature image: Instagram/ @_jesslemon_