MasterChef winner Andy Allen is on fire

Four years after taking out MasterChef, Andy Allen is hoping to foster a new generation of chefs.

When Andy Allen entered MasterChef four years ago, he didn’t expect to get past the first round. He certainly didn’t expect to take out the whole competition.

But take it out he did, beating fellow finalists Audra Morrice and Julia Taylor to become the youngest-ever winner to that point.

“It’s kind of cool to look back at how much I’ve done since then,” Allen said. “When you win a reality TV show – any reality TV show – there’s an eight month period afterwards that’s just crazy. You’re kind of like a deer in the headlights.”

“Eventually I thought to myself, ‘You know, this isn’t going to last forever. You have to take this momentum and use it.’”

That’s precisely what Allen has done. The former electrician has released a cookbook, launched a YouTube channel, travelled the world to hone his skills, and most recently taken over the kitchen at the Three Blue Ducks café in Sydney’s Rosebery.

“It’s been really well-received,” Allen said. “We’re happy with the food we’re putting up and the space is unbelievable. We’ve really turned it into our own.”

The space in question – previously occupied by Koskela Kitchen and Kitchen by Mike – includes a wood-fired oven, a pulley-operated charcoal grill, and an outdoor barbecue.

“We’re cooking a lot over fire,” Allen said. “Not just meat, but vegetables, too.”

In addition to everything else he’s been up to, Allen recently launched the Electrolux People’s Choice Awards, which offers restaurant-goers across the country the opportunity to support their favourite young chefs and waiters. The awards are part of the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence program, which was created to help develop the talents of the dining world’s rising stars.

“Coming from a cooking competition myself, and seeing what that was able to do for me, I was immediately drawn to the awards,” Allen said. “Developing the talents of young chefs and waiters is really important.”

Allen’s personal development is something he takes very seriously, pointing out that constant learning was integral to his MasterChef success.

“I didn’t realise how much there was to learn about cooking until I was on the show,” he said. “I read everything I could. Whenever there was a guest chef on the show, I listened to everything they had to say. Even in the house, when another contestant was cooking something, I’d watch and ask what they were doing.”

“I’m always switched on and trying to learn something,” he said.

Anyone who votes in the Electrolux People’s Choice Awards will automatically enter the draw to win a private masterclass with Allen, as well as a seasonal lunch at Three Blue Ducks. Voting closes on August 4, with the winner announced at the EAFE Awards Ceremony on August 8. You can vote here.

Does Allen know what he’s going to be teaching the lucky winner yet?

“I kind of want to get the barbie fired up,” he said.