“The talent is flying everywhere.”

MasterChef’s Jean-Christophe Novelli is back for another season! (Image: Supplied)

After joining the revamped judging panel of MasterChef Australia last season, dapper French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli was an instant hit with viewers.

Knowledgeable, eloquent and kind to the contestants, the father-of-four and his fellow judges Andy Allen, Poh Ling-Yeow and Sofia Levin proved to be the recipe for success.

As the award-winning series returns for its 17th season, with 24 familiar faces taking their shot at redemption, Woman’s Day sits down with the 64-year-old restaurateur to get the lay of the land.

We’re so excited to have you back on MasterChef! Was it an easy decision to return?

From the business side, it’s not. My cookery school (Novelli Academy) is shut for the duration when I am away, because I like to do the school myself.

And the other one is to leave your family behind.

But thanks to technology, it’s a lot easier than 50 years ago when someone is going away.

You seem to get along really well with your fellow judges. Did you keep in contact between seasons?

Yeah. Obviously they are busy, I am busy.

You can’t speak every day or every week. But there’s always a little text.
Andy, Poh, Sofia and Jean-Christophe are back for seconds! (Image: Channel Ten)

This season of MasterChef is Back To Win, with 24 former contestants returning for another crack at the title – and the prize money. As you’ve only been on the show one season prior to this, did you do a deep dive into the contestants or are you flying blind as far as their past achievements?

I was very unaware of what was happening on the series before.

And one thing I do not do is watch chefs cooking on TV.

So when I arrived, I was fully charged with millions of pictures and videos to get myself to understand who was who.

There are a few season 16 contestants you would be familiar with – does that put them at an advantage?

So that’s a good question.

They have less of an advantage because they are less experienced.

So what MasterChef does is sign you on to a platform, gaining positions in some of the most exciting places.

Most of [the contestants] were definitely novices, linked with a different vocation.

I was quite flabbergasted to see the courage and what they left behind, and how determined they were.
Michelle is holding down the fort. (Credit: Supplied)

Callum Hann, Laura Sharrad and Sarah Todd have each competed twice before and come within a whisker of winning – do you think one of them has what it takes to finally win this time around?

Yeah. I am on my knees watching them.

When I watch Laura, Callam and Sarah, just before the end, before they finish the cook-off, as they’re presenting their dish, and you see their eyes, the talent is flying everywhere in the kitchen.

They’re so natural and they’re so quick. They’re like conductors of symphonies.