Andy Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andrew Peter Allen 30 April 1988 Maitland, New South Wales, Australia |
| Education | Maitland Grossmann High School |
| Occupations |
|
| Predecessor | Kate Bracks |
| Successor | Emma Dean |
| Spouse | Alex Davey |
| Awards | Winner, MasterChef Australia |
| Website | https://andyallen.com.au |
Andrew Peter Allen (born 30 April 1988) is an Australian cook, food critic and television presenter. He is notable for winning the fourth season of MasterChef Australia in 2012, [1] and for being a judge on MasterChef Australia from 2020.
Allen was originally an electrician by occupation. [2] [3] He was also a basketball player with the Maitland Mustangs. [4] and also volunteered to work on extensions to his local basketball stadium. [5]
Allen's father, Peter, was a teacher at Bolwarra Public School, [6] and was also the primary cricket convenor for the NSW Primary Schools Sports Association. [7]
Andy pursued a career in the hospitality industry. He now co-owns a restaurant, Three Blue Ducks, that has five locations around Australia, in Rosebery, Byron Bay, Nimbo and Bellingen in New South Wales, as well as Melbourne in Victoria. [8] In 2018 his restaurant was awarded a Chef's Hat, making Andy the first MasterChef Australia contestant to be awarded the highly sought-after honour. [9]
In 2021, he appeared as a co-host in Three Blue Ducks, a cooking show based that travels throughout Australia to find inspiration for new dishes that appear on the permanent restaurant menu. [10]
Allen won the fourth season of MasterChef Australia. After making it to the final, Allen beat fellow finalists Audra Morrice and Julia Taylor in a three-way contest. Facing only Taylor for the final two rounds, Allen won with a score of 76 to Taylor's 68.
Allen appeared in an episode of MasterChef Australia All-Stars in August 2012.[ citation needed ]
He returned in the eleventh season as a professional Secret Chef, and lost to Sandeep Pandit by a perfect score, 30, in an Immunity Pin Challenge. His score was kept secret, but was revealed on Facebook to be 24. [11]
In October 2019, he was announced as one of three of the new MasterChef judges who replaced George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston. [12]
In May 2023, he was a pallbearer for Jock Zonfrillo with Laura Zonfrillo. [13]
Allen became engaged in May 2020 [3] and married his wife Alex Davey on 8 October 2022. [14]