Plums the pits for foodie Rose
IT WAS the killer nickname which marked Julie Goodwin for greatness in season one of MasterChef Australia.
But “the Eliminator” Rose Adam has become the eliminated, out- cooked in a sophisticated sweets challenge by dessert king Reynold Poernomo.
The 37- year- old ran out of second chances – after facing more elimination challenges than any other contestants this year – after missing the technical mark re- creating guest chef Janice Wong’s Cassis Plum dessert dish.
The Adelaide- born foodie and workplace trainer, who polarised the audience with her fluctuating fortunes in the MasterChef kitchen, defended her roller- coaster ride by claiming it made her a “better, stronger cook”.
“Each pressure test or elimination made me work even harder to prove myself ... I’d get great confidence from pushing myself to try new techniques or nail complicated dishes I never thought I could do,” she said.
“I know there was a lot of talk, ‘ oh she’s just lucky with team challenges’ and that’s what helped me get through. But it isn’t luck, it’s hard work and commitment. I just feel, for all the contestants, it’s about pushing yourself and really trying hard to be a better, stronger cook. That is what it was for me – every time I messed up, I’d go home and study and go home and study some more. You just didn’t see that on the show.”
Comparisons to Goodwin were a blessing and a burden for Adam, who resisted the mantle but embraced the friendship she has with the original MasterChef winner.
“I hated that nickname which the other contestants first gave me. Then one day I was with the boys in the wine room, waiting to go in for a tasting with the judges and George said, ‘ You’re the eliminator, justt like Julie Goodwin.’ It was so much pressure on me, so early,” she said.