What’s Cooking Next For MasterChef Australia Star Amy Tanner?

Of all the contestants on MasterChef Australia this year, Amy Tanner has definitely been one who's not afraid to take a risk in the kitchen.

Combining Mexican and Japanese cuisines with her pork tacos during a two-day challenge didn't work in her favour and unfortunately led to her elimination last night. But Tanner has no regrets about the decisions she made on the show.

The 26-year-old has worked as a medical administrator for six years, but she's now pursuing a career change after the reality show helped her realise her strong passion for food.

"I've always wanted to be a chef, but never really taken a step to become one," she tells Refinery29 Australia.

"I'm actually a chef at a little wine bar in Brunswick East called Bar Romantica, and I've got a few pop-ups on the horizon."

On top of that, Tanner reveals another surprising project in the works — she's designing an apron that will resemble a "chef's jacket", allowing versatile wear for chefs both in and out of the kitchen.

"It's going to be an apron that you wear to work and then something that you can wear after work as well," she explains. "In the hospitality industry, we do like to go out after or celebrate a long shift, so something that you can wear during and after is the vibe that I'm going for."

Tanner has several cooking idols that she looks up to, including Jamie Oliver, Paul West and English chefs Hasan Semay, Thomas Straker and Julius Roberts. It's no surprise then that one of Tanner's personal highlights of MasterChef was cooking for Oliver when he was a guest during the first two episodes this season.

"He was just unreal, the best person and so kind," she gushes. "It was a pretty surreal experience and something that I'll never forget."

Tanner was cast as one of 18 new faces on the show's 15th season, which is 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.