From being a judge on MasterChef, to starring in The Chef’s Line, to writing food columns for top hospitality-focused publications, it’s understandable why much of the public’s perception of Melissa Leong is linked to the culinary world. But the TV personality has spent 2024 reshaping that narrative, reminding us that she’s incredibly versatile and there’s more to her than her penchant for critiquing food with an elegant flair.
“We are all so multifaceted, and I feel like we're all quite quick to want to distil people into a particular mould or character or box – and we aren't. We simply aren't,” Leong tells Missing Perspectives.
“I don't think I'm any more multifaceted than anybody else, but I am very lucky that for where my career is concerned, I'm being given the opportunity to stretch my legs.”
Last year Leong received plenty of media attention after it was announced she wouldn’t be returning to the main MasterChef series in 2024 as a judge, but would continue as a judge on Dessert Masters – which by the way, returns with Season 2 next week.
She’s also starred in SBS documentary series, The Hospital: In The Deep End, hosted UFC Fight Week on Kayo Sports and Foxtel, and recently appeared on long-running children’s show, Play School.
“For anybody who was wondering why I would give up something as coveted as MasterChef, the last 12 months is living proof as to why,” Leong explains.
“I really don't enjoy being pigeonholed. The fact that I get to [be part of] Play School and UFC and Dessert Masters and do a documentary about public health, I mean, I want people to think, ‘Well, if she can do that, what else can she do?’”
MasterChef: Dessert Masters judges Melissa Leong and Amaury Guichon. Photo: Channel 10
Leong’s various roles have showcased different dimensions of her, and her secret to success is believing in her own skills and commitment to adding value in all of the work she does.
“It’s emboldening to be given opportunities like this, and obviously there's a certain amount of trepidation that comes with that because you're not necessarily at the top of your game at all of those things,” she reflects. “But I think one thing that holds true for me is I know who I am. I know what skills I bring to the screen and to the table and to the room that I'm in, and that I back myself 1,000%, every single time.”
Another thing Leong is certain of is the next-level calibre of sweet creations that audiences will drop jaws in the new season of Dessert Masters. Ten highly acclaimed “pastry chefs, dessert wizards and cake connoisseurs” join the cast this year, including Alisha Henderson, Christy Tania, Emelia Jackson, Dan Pasquali, Darren Purchese, Donato Toce, Jana Lai, John Demetrios, Katherine Sabbath and Reece Hignell. Their task is to compete in different challenges and use a combination of unique ingredients and techniques to impress Leong and fellow judge, Amaury Guichon.
“The audience needs to prepare to be amazed,” she laughs. “It’s truly a season of spectacle anchored in substance, and that is where I love to be – because style is one thing, substance is another. When you can bring those two together and have it be made by people at the top of their game, that's what I live for.”
The cast of MasterChef: Dessert Masters. Photo: Channel 10
Former MasterChef contestants such as Emelia Jackson and Reece Hignell return to the franchise to showcase more of their dessert-specific skills. However, being familiar with the reality TV competition’s general format doesn’t necessarily mean they have an advantage over the other contestants.
“Firstly, it's such a beautifully emotional, full circle moment for people like Reece and Emelia to return to the kitchen as professional contestants, because they walked into that kitchen originally as a complete amateur and with a dream,” says Leong.
“Their dream has essentially been realised, and now they're coming back and competing with people who have specialised in pastry from the get go, and that's huge. That's a whole other level that they need to step up to, and they know it.
“While they may be somewhat familiar with what it's like to cook in that kitchen, the stress of the format and the pressure that's involved, I think the thing about that kitchen is that it equalises everybody in the most interesting way,” she continues.
“So you can have people with extraordinary skills. You can have people who are great planners. You can have people who've been there before, yet somehow, when the clock starts ticking, all of that goes out the window, and it's just about the challenge at hand, and that's where you get really, really exciting food being made.”
There are only a few sleeps until Leong returns to screens to taste all of these exciting desserts. As for what she’d make at home herself, perhaps if she was watching the show? Two delicious classics: tiramisu and a lemon drizzle cake.
Dessert Masters premieres on Monday October 14, at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10 Play.