YOU could have heard the cheer all over Orange on Tuesday night when Kate Bracks was given the prestigious MasterChef apron.
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The mother-of-three was one of the first six contestants to be named in the show’s top 24.
Her take on her idol Maggie Beer’s olive oil, apple and rosemary pudding with sabayon dessert brought praise and “constructive criticism” from the judges.
“The frangipane and nectarine is really good,” food author and cook Maggie Beer said.
However, regular MasterChef judge Matt Preston found a tiny problem with Mrs Bracks’ sabayon.
“If you just brought us that and we just lost that [the sabayon] over there somewhere,” Mr Preston said.
“The sabayon tastes like scrambled eggs, and scrambled eggs and dessert don’t really go.”
But despite her sabayon problem, Mrs Bracks did enough to impress the judges and be one of the first six people through to the top 24 chefs.
“When my name was called out, I really wasn’t expecting it,” Mrs Bracks said.
“I feel incredibly blessed to be part of the top 24.”
Mrs Bracks was joined in the top 24 by fellow NSW contestants Cleo Kerameas and Hayden Quinn, Adam Bowen and Craig Young from Queensland, and film projectionist from South Australia Michael Weldon.
All six have the pressure off them, and will wait and see who else will be joining them in the top 24.
“Cooking has been something I’ve loved ever since I was a child,” Mrs Bracks said.
The 36-year-old has impressed the judges including Matt Moran with her “eclectic” cooking style.
On the first night, Mrs Bracks’ meal she made from simple ingredients blew the judges away.
She was signalled out as making one of the best dishes in the challenge.
But Mrs Bracks was not letting her recent cooking success go to her head.
“To learn at this point in time. I have so much to learn and be able to be here and have this opportunity is amazing,” she said.
