MasterChef pays off for South Coast chef

The 23-year-old, who grew up at Orient Point on the Shoalhaven River and is now head chef at Blancmange, a French bouchon-style restaurant in Sydney, treated any setbacks on the show as an opportunity to learn.

"Even the times that were tough - if we didn't win a challenge, or if I didn't perform well in a challenge - I just looked at everything as being a learning experience and took what I could from it," he says.

Brindle describes his childhood as idyllic, with long hours spent in the surf, bodyboarding.

He says he got interested in a career as a chef when he was about 12 or 13.

"That was when the whole Jamie Oliver revolution was starting," Brindle says.

"TV chefs had been around a long time but they became more prominent. I gained the interest from there and then I just really enjoyed the craft of it, using my hands and learning more about it."

When the MasterChef opportunity came up, he was initially hesitant to become a TV chef himself.

"I was a bit apprehensive about going on the show because it's not really in my demeanour but then I thought I may as well give it a shot," he says.

"I'm definitely thankful I did, it's been a great experience."

The most enjoyable parts of the show for Brindle were the team challenges.

"The chemistry of the team challenges was more like working in a commercial kitchen, where you're working with a team and you're trying to work out issues and iron things out," he says.

Of the other contestants, he rates fellow South Coaster Sarah Knights and Melbourne's Michael Demagistris most highly.

As for himself, Brindle admits his life has changed somewhat. His restaurant Blancmange has been busier and some of his regulars have been keen for a chat about the show.

"People have been recognising me on the street, so that is a bit different to what I am used to," he says. "There was a young boy who came in the other day and had his photo taken with me in the kitchen and he was really excited."