Jock Zonfrillo, renowned Chef, Author, and Judge on MasterChef Australia, passed away at the age of 46.
The family of Jock Zonfrillo confirmed his death on Monday, stating that he passed away on Sunday in Melbourne. In their announcement, they referred to him as “our irreplaceable husband, father, brother, son, and friend.”
While no cause of death was provided, a spokesperson for Victoria Police confirmed that they are not treating Jock Zonfrillo’s death as suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
The new season of MasterChef Australia was set to debut on Monday night, but Network 10 has announced that it will not be aired this week.
“With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday,” Zonfrillo’s family said in a statement.
“So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time we’re too overwhelmed to put them into words. For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.”
In response to the news of Jock Zonfrillo’s death, Jamie Oliver, who appeared as a guest on the first episode of the upcoming season of MasterChef Australia, took to Instagram to express his disbelief, stating that he was “in total shock.”
“We had the best time working together for this year’s MasterChef, I can’t tell how good it was to work with him!” Oliver wrote. “Jock was very generous to me with his time and spirit in the show and for that I was really grateful … Jock will be so very missed … I can’t believe I’m writing this…….”
Following the news of Jock Zonfrillo’s passing, several ex-contestants of MasterChef, including Laura Sharrad, Sarah Tiong, Depinder Chhibber, Minoli De Silva, and Reynold Poernomo, took to social media to pay their respects. Poernomo expressed his shock at the news.
“… rest in peace chef, my heart and condolences to loved ones,” he wrote on Zonfrillo’s Instagram.
Chefs Colin Fassnidge, Rosheen Kaul, and Dan Hong also took to social media to share their sadness at the passing of Jock Zonfrillo.
“This is devastating,” wrote Hong, while former food critic Pat Nourse described Zonfrillo’s death as “incredibly sad news”.
“We’re the poorer for his passing. Truly heartbreaking,” he wrote on Instagram.
Network 10 and MasterChef Australia production company Endemol Shine Australia said in a statement that they were “deeply shocked and saddened at the sudden loss”.
Peter Newman, Chief Executive Officer at Endemol Shine Australia, said, “On set he was loved by the team and his passion for food and the show was infectious. He was also a brilliant champion for the contestants on MasterChef, always wanting the very best for them. He will be deeply missed by the entire MasterChef team. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.”
Barry Zonfrillo was born in Glasgow in 1976 and started his culinary journey as a dishwasher at the age of 13. Leaving school at 15, he embarked on an apprenticeship at the Turnberry hotel, becoming one of its youngest-ever apprentices.
At the age of 17, Zonfrillo started working for the renowned British Chef Marco Pierre White. In his 2021 memoir, “Last Shot,” Zonfrillo revealed that he was homeless and struggling with a heroin addiction during that time. At the young age of 22, he was appointed head Chef at Cornwall’s Tresanton hotel.
In 2000, Zonfrillo was appointed as the Head Chef at Forty One in Sydney. However, he was dismissed from his position in 2002 when he set fire to an apprentice’s pants for working too slowly. While Zonfrillo claimed it was intended as a prank, it ended up having serious consequences. The 18-year-old apprentice, Martin Krammer, took legal action against Zonfrillo and was awarded $75,000 in damages in 2007. That same year, Zonfrillo filed for bankruptcy.
Afterward, he went on to launch multiple restaurants in Adelaide, such as Street ADL, Bistro Blackwood, Nonna Mallozzi, and Restaurant Orana. Gourmet Traveller magazine recognized Restaurant Orana as Australia’s restaurant of the year in 2018, followed by the Good Food Guide in the following year. The restaurant was awarded three hats in 2019 and 2020. However, it closed its doors in March 2020.
In 2019, Zonfrillo joined MasterChef Australia as a judge, alongside Melissa Leong and Andy Allen, taking over from the show’s previous hosts, Matt Preston, George Calombaris, and Gary Mehigan.
Some of the stories in his memoir Last Shot were controversially disputed, with White saying that “almost everything he has written about me is untrue” in the chapters about Zonfrillo’s time in London in the 1990s. Zonfrillo’s claim that he had visited “hundreds of Indigenous communities” was also questioned.
But Zonfrillo denied embellishing his life story, saying: “This is the story of my life. I’ve lived every minute of it, the highs and lows, and I stand by it.”
“There’s no question that some of my book makes me look pretty unsavoury at the best of times. I carry the shame from those years, not pride, and it was a big obstacle for me to overcome when writing this book.”
Zonfrillo is survived by his third wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children.
