Winning a legion of fans across lounge rooms thanks to his delicious desserts and on-screen charisma, Darrsh Clarke instantly shot to national fame on MasterChef Australia last year.
Now, he’s returned to the cooking franchise in an all-stars season called MasterChef Australia: Back To Win, promising audiences that they’ll see elements of his signature cooking style from last season – but he’ll also be taking more culinary risks.
“You’re not going to see a boring Darrsh, that’s for sure,” he laughs during an interview with Draw Your Box.
“Not that you were boring last season!” responds Alicia Vrajlal – our founder and the host of Draw Your Box’s podcast, Unfiltered Chai with Alicia Vrajlal.
Listen to our podcast interview with Darrsh Clarke below:
Darrsh explains that it was a particular moment during last year’s season that sparked a change in him, and he wants to continue embracing that experimental energy in the flavours and dishes he serves up to the judges.
“It was after the eggs on toast pressure test [last season] – mentally I thought I was going to go home,” he explains. “So after that pressure test, I remember just like the clamps came off, and I went, ‘Every day after this is a bonus’… because I was so convinced I was going home.
“I think that mentality got me really far in the competition after that moment. So, taking that same energy into this season, going, ‘Push your boundaries, the judges really admire and respect it when you take risks’. And it’s way better to take a risk and have a fail, than to play it safe and you know, fail.”
As to what this new approach could lead to in terms of the actual dishes served, the dessert king hints he’ll be dabbling in spices just as much as sweets.
“I think definitely, you’re going to see me taking more savoury,” the Sri Lankan Australian says, adding he will “lean on the flavours that I know deeply, which are our spices in the subcontinent… and definitely seeing me push the boundaries of what you can do with your mind in terms of savoury versus sweet.”
Coming back to MasterChef for a second year in a row is already a significant step. While he’s going up against some very seasoned MasterChef alumni, Darrsh says there are some advantages to returning just a year out of the TV kitchen. The familiarity with the setup and this particular set of judges – Andy Allen, Poh Ling-Yeow, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Sofia Levin – can give you a competitive edge.
“I think the pros are definitely being kitchen ready straight off the back of last season,” he says, adding that fellow Season 16 stars Sav Perera and Snezana Calic would be in the same boat. He explains it can take the “first couple of weeks” to find your bearing around the kitchen and know where all of the equipment is.
“For me, Snez and Sav, that’s so fresh in our minds, you know, because we just came off it last season. So that’s definitely a huge, positive plus. [Also] knowing what the judges are kind of looking for, that’s a huge positive, a huge advantage.”
However, that’s not to say that the expertise and experience of MasterChef royalty doesn’t keep him on his toes, as he describes the “pressure that we feel” when up against the likes of Callum Hann, Andre Ursini and Jamie Fleming.
“These are guys that have run so many services already. Like, Andre’s got 16 years worth of kitchen experience. So, I think particularly when it comes to service challenges, those guys will have a huge edge, because it’s just like second nature to them.”
With it being only a few weeks into the competition airing on TV, Darrsh understandably remains tight-lipped on how far he’ll go this season. However, he does divulge some details about what he hopes to do next – and it involves collaborating with David Tan from his original season, who also happens to be his housemate.
“It’s not a cookbook, but all I’ll say is that Melbourne has a really good dessert scene in terms of ice cream, in terms of croissants and pastries, but there is a gap in the market,” he teases. “And I hope that David and I can fill that gap in the market, and that we can bring the people of Melbourne something that they have been missing out on for far too long.”
Darrsh is one of 24 cast members on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win alongside: Alana Lowes (Season 3), Andre Ursini (Season 1), Audra Morrice (Season 4), Beau Cook (Season 4), Ben Macdonald (Season 6), Callum Hann (Season 2, Season 12), Cath Collins (Season 15), Declan Cleary (Season 15), Depinder Chhibber (Season 13), Jamie Fleming (Season 6), Jimmy Wong (Season 8), Laura Sharrad (Season 6, Season 12), Matt Hopcraft (Season 7), Pete Campbell (Season 13), Rhiannon Anderson (Season 15), Rue Mupedzi (Season 15), Samira El Khafir (Season 5), Sarah Todd (Season 6, Season 14), Savindri Perera (Season 16), Snezana Calic (Season 16), Steph de Sousa (Season 11), Theo Loizou (Season 15) and Tim Bone (Season 11).
MasterChef Australia: Back To Win continues at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10 Play.
Top image source: Channel 10
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