Meet MasterChef Australia 2023’s Ralph Kahango — The Marco Pierre White Fan Who’s Proudly Showcasing Zimbabwean Cuisine On TV

Ralph Kahango may be a government auditor by trade, but it's food that he turns to when he wants to relax away from the daily grind. The 32-year-old is one of 18 contestants on MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises this year, and hopes to share his culture through his cooking.

Kahango grew up in Zimbabwe and South Africa before moving to Australia when he was 17 to focus on his studies. After completing his Master of Accounting, he worked as a government auditor for five years. But the kitchen is where he finds himself the most creative, often recreating restaurant dishes with the guidance of cookbooks and YouTube.

While baking may not be his forte, Kahango loves Italian food, and his collection of pasta photos on Instagram is proof of that! He also looks up to professional chefs like Marco Pierre White, and is eager to soak up all the new skills and knowledge he can in the MasterChef kitchen.

Taking his cooking skills to the reality TV show is also an opportunity for him to share Zimbabwean food, culture and traditions with the judges, as well as the rest of Australia.

"So excited to be part of an amazing cast," Kahango recently wrote on his Instagram account. He's one of 18 new faces on the show this year, different to last year's season MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites, which featured 12 returning contestants from previous seasons and 12 amateur home cooks.

The contestants 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.