Cooking up a storm
> Tasia and Gracia Seger won over fans of My Kitchen Rules Australia Season Seven with their hilarious onscreen sibling antics
SISTERS Tasia and Gracia Seger not only took My Kitchen Rules Australia crown for season seven, but also won over fans of the series with their bubbly personalities and lively bickering when under pressure.
Initially viewed as comic relief, the sisters ended up surprising everyone when their true cooking talents started to emerge.
Staying true to their Indonesian culinary heritage, the sisters – who both hold permanent resident status in Australia – also became fan favourites due to their inability to be nasty to their competitors.
Not only did the sisters have to judge the competitors’ food, but they also had their own cooking judged in return.
Yet, through it all, the sisters were never mean, and seemed to find positives in everything put in front of them.
The Segers were recently in Kuala Lumpur to serve as judges alongside Zamzani Abdul Wahab (Chef Zam) for the My Kuih Raya Rules competition, which was won by Falihin Jasmi from Muar for his onde-onde Diva cookies creation.
During an interview later, older sister Tasia, 27, said both she and her sister grew up respecting whatever was put in front of them.
“Gracia and I choose our words properly,” she said. “If we did not enjoy the food, we would say the cook tried really hard. If they did not execute it well, we can always say it in a nicer way.”
Gracia, 25, added that there are certain ways to talk [as a guest] when you are “in someone else’s home”.
“It is not like we were cautiously making decisions,” she said. “I think with everything negative, you can find something positive about it. It is not like they want to present really bad food.”
Tasia said the reason most contestants fail to do well was mostly due to pressure, and not because they were not good cooks, reminding us that we all have bad days in the kitchen.
Tasia recalled how they ended up on My Kitchen Rules Australia. “Actually, I kind of ‘persuaded’ Gracia. I applied without her knowledge.”
Fortunately, Gracia was keen to participate and it all turned out well – in fact, fantastic.
Tasia remarked that they did not take part sooner because they were both studying.
Tasia holds a degree in psychology, while Gracia holds a masters in biomedical research.
At the moment, the sisters are keen on pursuing careers in the food industry, and are currently taking part in food and wine expositions across Australia.
“Because we don’t have much experience working in professional kitchens, Tasia and I have been opening pop-up restaurants, working with other restaurants in Australia,” said Gracia.
They also recently launched their own satay sauce. So far, the girls are enjoying themselves.
Asked about their bickering during high pressure moments on the show, Tasia explained: “With siblings, you can forgive each other and say whatever you want.
“My advice for those who want to get on [the show] is to go with a family member. You can’t say [certain] things to your friends but with your sister, you can be very honest.”
However, their bickering made other teams underestimate the girls, who initially struggled during the competition but started getting stronger towards the end.
Gracia added: “The other groups thought that we would be the next to go because we are always fighting.
“What they didn’t understand was that [it] is the way we communicate, and it is always very honest.”
Funnily enough, they could not bear to watch themselves on TV when the series aired.
“Most of the time, we would skip episodes that focus on us and watch episodes that feature other teams. It is really awkward,” Gracia said with a laugh.
My Kitchen Rules Season Eight is currently showing on