Meet MasterChef Australia 2023’s Larissa Sewell — The Platter Queen Who’s Sharing Her Family’s Story Through Food

Being on MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises is not only an opportunity for Larissa Sewell to cook up a storm in the kitchen, but also a chance for her to share dishes inspired by her Ukrainian and Russian heritage.

"I think, particularly now, I have a responsibility to represent my culture," the 38-year-old says in a promo for the cooking show.

The world has watched over the past year as turmoil continues to unfold in Ukraine since Russia's initial attack in February 2022. Back then, Russian forces invaded the sovereign eastern European nation after tensions escalated between the countries, resulting in thousands of civilian and military casualties and a devastating refugee crisis.

In the promo, Sewell seems to refer to the unrest and how her relatives overseas may have been impacted. "One of my aunties was talking about how they’re saving potato peelings because they don’t know where their next meals are going to come from," she says.

Sewell lives in Adelaide with her husband and twin sons. The family enjoys an urban farm lifestyle, complete with heirloom vegetables and heritage chickens. The stay-at-home mum — who runs a small fruit and vegetable co-op and a successful grazing platter business — says her passion for food has stemmed from her heritage and upbringing.

Her babushka (grandmother) has been her biggest influence, and three of her grandparents fled their homeland during the Russian Revolution and resettled in China. Having grown up with this melting pot of cultures, cooking is just as much about the stories behind the dishes as it is about the taste for Sewell.

While last year's season MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites featured 12 returning contestants from previous seasons and 12 amateur home cooks, the 2023 season returns to the original format featuring faces that are new to Aussie TV. This year there will only be 18 aprons up for grabs, and give contenders the opportunity to cook in mystery box challenges, compete for immunity pins, and receive feedback from the show's esteemed judges.

The contestants this year are Adi Nevgi, Alice Han, Amy Tanner, Andrea Puglisi, Antonio Cruz Vaamonde, Brent Draper, Cath Collins, Declan Cleary, Grace Jupp, Jessica Perri, Larissa Sewell, Malissa Fedele, Phil Conway, Ralph Kahango, Rhiannon Anderson, Robbie Cooper, Rue Mupedzi and Theo Loizou.

In addition to MasterChef judges Melissa Leong, Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo (who recently passed away), this year there's a star-studded lineup of guest judges including Jamie Oliver, Curtis Stone, Maggie Beer, Rick Stein and Peter Gilmore.

MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises will premiere on Sunday, May 7 at 7:30pm on Channel 10, following a special edition of The Sunday Project which will pay tribute to Jock Zonfrillo from 6:30pm.