Jump to content

Jock Zonfrillo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jock Zonfrillo
Zonfrillo seated on a chair in his restaurant Orana in August 2017
Zonfrillo in 2017
Born
Barry Zonfrillo

(1976-08-04)4 August 1976
Glasgow, Scotland
Died30 April 2023(2023-04-30) (aged 46)
Melbourne, Australia
Occupations
  • Chef
  • philanthropist
  • television presenter
Known forMasterChef Australia judge
Spouse
Lauren Fried
​
(m. 2017)​
Children4
Culinary career
Cooking style
Rating(s)
Previous restaurant(s)
    • Turnberry, South Ayrshire, Scotland (1991)
    • Arkle, Chester, England (1992–1993)
    • Aubergine, London, England (1993–1994)
    • The Restaurant Marco Pierre White, London (1994–1995)
    • Chapter One, Kent, England (1995–1996)
    • Restaurant 41, Sydney (1996–1997, 2000–2002)
    • Les Saveurs, London (1997)
    • The Pharmacy, London (1997)
    • Hotel Tresanton Restaurant, Cornwall, England (1998–1999)
    • Street ADL, Adelaide, South Australia (2013–2017)
    • Orana, Adelaide (2013–2020)
    • Bistro Blackwood, Adelaide (2017–2019)
    • Nonna Mallozzi, Adelaide (2018–2019)
Television show(s)
Award(s) won

Barry "Jock" Zonfrillo[1] (4 August 1976 – 30 April 2023) was a Scottish chef, television presenter and restaurateur. He was the founder of the Orana Foundation and a judge on MasterChef Australia.

Early life

[edit]

Zonfrillo was born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Ayr.[2] His father, Ivan, was a barber and his mother, Sarah, was a hairdresser.[3] His mother's family is Scottish from Dalmellington, Ayrshire, while his father is from Scauri, Italy.[4] He had an older sister, Carla.[3] Zonfrillo attended Belmont Academy in Ayr.[2]

Career

[edit]

Rise to head chef

[edit]

Zonfrillo started working in kitchens at the age of 12 as a part-time dishwasher at the restaurant in which his older sister was waitressing.[1] He started learning to cook at the restaurant three weeks later when one of the chefs had a motorbike accident.[1] Zonfrillo left school at age 15 and started an apprenticeship in the kitchens of The Turnberry Hotel.[5] He stated that he started taking drugs, including heroin at this time.[1] In 1993, at the age of 16, Zonfrillo was named Young Scottish Chef of the Year.[1]

After completing his apprenticeship, Zonfrillo got a job at the one-Michelin-starred Arkle Restaurant in Chester.[6] While working at Arkle, he claimed that he started selling drugs to fund his heroin addiction.[1] Zonfrillo was fired from the restaurant after a foul-mouthed outburst that was overheard in the dining room.[3][7]

Zonfrillo next travelled to London where he worked for Marco Pierre White at The Restaurant Marco Pierre White.[3] He also worked at Quaglino's and at Chapter One with David Cavalier before heading to Australia in 1994 for 12 months. As a traveller, he was rejected by many of the restaurants he wanted to work at until he was hired by Dietmar Sawyere at Restaurant 41 in Sydney. Starting out as a line cook, Zonfrillo rose to become sous-chef after two months.[3][6]

When his visa expired, Zonfrillo returned to London and worked for three months at Gordon Ramsay's Aubergine. He subsequently resumed working for White at the Oak Room and Les Saveurs, before joining Pharmacy.[5][8] Zonfrillo was appointed to his first head chef position, at age 22, at The Tresanton Hotel in Cornwall.[6]

Move to Australia

[edit]

Zonfrillo immigrated to Australia in 2000.[9] He stated that he quit heroin cold turkey upon arrival in Sydney, and remained clean since then.[1][10] He became head chef of Restaurant 41 where he began using Australian native ingredients in his cooking.[3] In 2002, Zonfrillo set fire to the pants of an apprentice chef for working too slowly. The chef, Martin Krammer, sued Zonfrillo after suffering burns to his hand and was awarded damages in excess of $75,000 in 2007.[1] In May 2007, Zonfrillo was declared bankrupt after a creditor's petition from Krammer was successful in the Federal Magistrates Court.[11][12] According to Krammer, "He [Zonfrillo] never paid me a cent."[1]

Zonfrillo was fired from Restaurant 41 after the incident.[1] He started importing and selling kitchen equipment and doing some consultancy, then briefly worked at the Austral after moving to Adelaide.[5] In 2011, Zonfrillo was named head chef at Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant in South Australia but left after 18 months.[9]

Restaurants

[edit]

In November 2013, he opened Orana and Street ADL in Adelaide[13] replacing Street ADL with Bistro Blackwood in September 2017.[14] In August 2017, Orana was named Australia's 2018 Restaurant of the Year by Gourmet Traveller magazine;[15] the same year Zonfrillo was named Australia's 2018 Hottest Chef in The Australian.[16] In October 2018, Orana was named Australia's 2019 Restaurant of the Year by The Good Food Guide, as well as being a three hatted restaurant in the 2019 and 2020 Chef Hat Awards.[17]

In 2016 and 2017, Zonfrillo ran a fixed food truck called Nonna Mallozzi, serving Italian food.[18] Zonfrillo opened a bar called Mallozzi in December 2018.[19] He closed it in July 2019 after posting losses exceeding $140,000 in the time it was open.[20] In late 2019, Bistro Blackwood closed, followed by Orana in March 2020.[1] On 5 October 2020, the companies which operated the restaurants entered into voluntary administration,[21][22][23] with substantial unpaid debts, amounting to approximately $3.2 million.[1] A preliminary report filed by the administrators with ASIC in October 2020, recorded that initial investigations were being undertaken into whether the restaurant companies were trading while insolvent, if there had been unfair preferences or potential breaches of director duties, and concerning related party loans.[24] Zonfrillo also had to sell his family home in the Adelaide Hills after the closure of Orana.[25]

The Orana Foundation

[edit]

In 2016, Zonfrillo started The Orana Foundation, to preserve historical cooking techniques and ingredients of Indigenous Australians. The foundation was awarded The Good Food Guide Food for Good Award in October 2017.[26] One of the foundation's projects was a database of 1,443 Aboriginal food plants created in partnership with the University of Adelaide. Launched in September 2020, the database provided information about the plants' nutritional profile, taste, flavour, and optimal methods of preparation and cooking.[1]

Questions were raised by The Australian in August 2020 regarding Zonfrillo's management of the foundation.[27] Zonfrillo launched defamation proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against the newspaper.[28] The Australian's publisher Nationwide News settled the court case. An apology was printed in The Australian newspaper on 17 December 2020 and published on their website.[29]

Television

[edit]

In 2014, Zonfrillo hosted the Discovery Channel show Nomad Chef which saw him travel to communities in 10 countries to learn how they gather ingredients and cook.[30][31] In 2015, he hosted the cooking reality television series Restaurant Revolution.[8] In 2016, Zonfrillo co-hosted Chef Exchange with chef Qu Jianmin from Adelaide's sister city Qingdao. Running for two seasons, the show focused on the two chefs exploring each other's food and wine cultures.[32][33][34]

In October 2019, Zonfrillo was announced as one of the new judges for MasterChef Australia, alongside Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.[35] He had previously appeared as a guest chef on the show across three seasons.[8]

In July 2020, Zonfrillo was announced as one of the judges for Junior MasterChef Australia in 2020.[36]

Other work

[edit]

Zonfrillo was programming director of the Tasting Australia food festival from 2016 to 2019.[37]

In July 2021, Zonfrillo began selling "worry beads" bracelets with skulls on them for up to $500 each, under the brand Caim.[38][39]

Memoir

[edit]

On 28 July 2021, Simon & Schuster published Zonfrillo's memoir, Last Shot.[40] A subsequent feature in The Sydney Morning Herald questioned his stories, notably his claims of having visited "hundreds of Indigenous communities", as well as stories of his drug use. Marco Pierre White, referred to as a father figure in the book, stated that "almost everything he has written about me is untrue".[1] Simon & Schuster replied that the book was "a historical account written from the personal knowledge of the subject writing it."[41]

Personal life

[edit]

Zonfrillo met his first wife, Kelly, in Sydney in 1996. They separated in 2002.[42]

On 1 January 2017, Zonfrillo married his third wife, Lauren Fried.[43][44] The couple met on Twitter in October 2014.[44] In February 2018, Fried and Zonfrillo had a son who was born two months premature and weighed only 1.2 kg.[45] Fried and Zonfrillo had a daughter in October 2020.[46] Zonfrillo had two other daughters from his two previous marriages.[47]

After the closure of his restaurants, Zonfrillo and his family relocated to Melbourne around March 2020.[48] Prior to his death, the family resided in Carlton[1] and moved to Rome, Italy in 2023.[49]

Death

[edit]

Zonfrillo died in Melbourne, Australia, on 30 April 2023, at age 46. His body was found after police were called to conduct a welfare check at Zagame's House hotel.[50] There was no immediate confirmation of his cause of death, but the police were not treating the death as suspicious and were preparing a report for the coroner.[47][51][52] The 15th season of MasterChef Australia, which Zonfrillo had already filmed, was scheduled to premiere on 1 May 2023 but was postponed to 7 May.[53] It was preceded by a special episode of The Sunday Project reflecting on Zonfrillo's life.[54][55]

It was later disclosed by Daily Mail Australia that he had been battling bowel cancer since 2021, and that when he wasn’t filming MasterChef, the Scottish-born chef was receiving treatment for the disease.[56]

Recognitions

[edit]
  • 1993 Young Scottish Chef of the Year – The Federation of Chefs Scotland[9]
  • 2014 South Australian Best New Restaurant and South Australian Restaurant of the Year – The Advertiser Food Awards[57]
  • 2015 South Australian Restaurant of the Year – The Advertiser Food Awards[58]
  • 2015 Chef of The Year – Restaurant & Catering Awards[59]
  • 2015 and 2016 Australia's Hot 50 Restaurants – The Australian[60][61]
  • 2017 Hottest Chef & Hottest South Australian Restaurant – The Australian[62]
  • 2017 Food for Good Award – The Good Food Guide[63]
  • 2018 Australian Restaurant of the Year – Gourmet Traveller magazine[64]
  • 2018 Australia's Hottest Chef – The Australian[65]
  • 2018 Australian Food for Good Award – The Good Food Guide[66]
  • 2018 Basque Culinary World Prize – Basque Culinary Center[67]
  • 2019 Australian Restaurant of the Year – The Good Food Guide.[17]

Filmography

[edit]
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2014 MasterChef Australia Guest chef Series 6[68]
Nomad Chef Host Filmed in 10 countries and aired in 220 countries.[31][30][4]
2015 Restaurant Revolution For Seven Network in Australia.[69]
2016–2018 Chef Exchange First and second season for Qingdao TV (QTV) in China and South Australia.[70][71]
2018 MasterChef Australia Guest chef Series 10[72]
2019 MasterChef Australia Series 11[73]
2020–2023 MasterChef Australia Judge Series 12–15, Series 15 aired posthumously[54][74][75][35]
2020 Junior MasterChef Australia Series 3[36]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Elliott, Tim (6 August 2021). "'He's very nice. The only problem is ...': chef Marco Pierre White on Jock Zonfrillo". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b McIver, Brian. "Chef who beat heroin addiction has become toast of Australia". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Sams, Lauren (27 June 2019). "Jock Zonfrillo is creating a billion-dollar industry from native foods". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b "The Scottish 'nomad chef' redefining Australia's national cuisine". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "The Gospel, according to Jock". The Advertiser. 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "St Mawes the merrier". The Caterer. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  7. ^ Rolfe, Brooke (2 May 2023). "How MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo beat drug addiction". News.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  8. ^ a b c ""An extraordinary man": MasterChef's Jock Zonfrillo passes away aged 46". Mediaweek. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Lam, Yvonne C; Gorman, Alyx (1 May 2023). "Jock Zonfrillo, award-winning MasterChef Australia judge charmed TV audiences and courted controversy – obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  10. ^ Sullivan, Rebecca (May 2023). "MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo reveals the unusual accessory he "always keeps in my pocket" - that fans CANNOT stop talking about". Now To Love. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  11. ^ "File details – applications for file". www.comcourts.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  12. ^ "In the Matter of Barry Zonfrillo: Federal Magistrates Court of Australia at Sydney, Sequestration Order dated 11 May 2007". 11 May 2007. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  13. ^ Freeman, Miranda (15 November 2013). "Street-ADL And Orana". The Adelaide Review. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Jock reveals project Bistro". The Advertiser. 20 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 March 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  15. ^ Sly, David (25 August 2017). "Get to know Orana, Australia's Restaurant of the Year 2018". Gourmet Traveller. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Hot 50 restaurants: What's hot in 2018". The Australian.
  17. ^ a b "The Good Food Guide 2019: Full list of award winners". Good Food. 9 October 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  18. ^ Foster, Farrin (17 May 2016). "Jock Zonfrillo opens food truck Nonna Mallozzi". CityMag. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  19. ^ Telegramma, Tomas (11 December 2018). "Now Open: Jock Zonfrillo's "Vino and Spuntino" Bar". Broadsheet. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  20. ^ "MasterChef host's failed venture "may have traded insolvent"". InDaily. 7 July 2020. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Combined Notice of Appointment and First Meeting of Creditors: Blackwood Bistro Pty Ltd and The Living Room Bar Pty Ltd". ASIC Published Notices. 7 October 2020. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  22. ^ James, Colin (8 October 2020). "Jock Zonfrillo put Restaurant Orana into voluntary administration before announcing permanent closure". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo calls in KPMG for Orana's closure". www.consultancy.com.au. 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  24. ^ James, Colin (28 October 2020). "Companies run by MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo owe more than $1 million to creditors". The Advertiser. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Zonfrillo sells SA home after creditor stakes claim". InDaily. 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  26. ^ "All the Good Food Guide 2018 award winners". Good Food. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  27. ^ Whitbourn, Michaela (22 September 2020). "MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo sues The Australian for defamation". The Age. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  28. ^ Dye, Josh (1 October 2020). "'Insulting': Jock Zonfrillo slams negative coverage at launch of Indigenous food database". Good Food. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  29. ^ Dore, Christopher (17 December 2020). "Apology to Mr Jock Zonfrillo". The Australian. Nationwide News. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  30. ^ a b ""Nomad Chef" set for Australian debut on Discovery". Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  31. ^ a b McIver, Brian (6 October 2014). "Chef's passion for cooking has taken him all over the world". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  32. ^ "Cracking the Chinese market, one dish at a time". IF Magazine. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  33. ^ Manning, James (7 July 2017). "The Adelaide pro-co opening up China with chefs, AFL and soccer". Mediaweek. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  34. ^ Andrew Stark (2 January 2018). "Chef Exchange - a SA food and wine journey for Chinese wine enthusiasts". Wine Communicators of Australia. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  35. ^ a b Bucklow, Andrew (10 October 2019). "MasterChef Australia: New judges announced". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  36. ^ a b "Jock, Melissa And Andy Return For Junior MasterChef". 10 play. 20 July 2020. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  37. ^ "Jock Zonfrillo remembered as an 'incredible chef' and influential member of Australia's culinary landscape". ABC News. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  38. ^ "Caim Worry Beads". Caim Worry Beads. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  39. ^ "MasterChef Judge Jock Zonfrillo's 'Worry Beads' Have A Beautiful Story Behind Them". The Latch. 11 July 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  40. ^ "The Last Shot". Simon & Schuster. 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  41. ^ "Publisher adamant chef Jock Zonfrillo's memoir stands up to scrutiny". Sydney Morning Herald. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  42. ^ Elliott, Tim (6 August 2021). "'He's very nice. The only problem is ...': chef Marco Pierre White on Jock Zonfrillo". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  43. ^ "Jock Zonfrillo never believed in love at first sight, then he met Lauren Fried". Who. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  44. ^ a b "Jock Zonfrillo's third marriage is different. He made sure of it". MamaM!a. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  45. ^ "Jock Zonfrillo reveals heartache after newborn's 5 weeks in NICU". Yahoo!. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  46. ^ "MasterChef: Jock Zonfrillo's secret baby joy amid 'difficult time'". Yahoo!. 9 November 2020. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  47. ^ a b Quinn, Karl; Lahey, Kate (1 May 2023). "MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dies, aged 46". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  48. ^ "Master Chef Travels to Daylesford for Day of Filming". Courier Mail. 15 March 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  49. ^ "Revealed: Zonfrillo had secretly moved to another country before death". NZ Herald. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  50. ^ Christmass, Pip (2 May 2023). "Twist in Jock Zonfrillo tragedy as star's neighbour speaks out". Seven News. Seven West Media. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  51. ^ Marsh, Stuart; Attanasio, Joe (1 May 2023). "'I can't believe I'm writing this': Family, friends in shock after Jock Zonfrillo dies at 46". Nine News. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  52. ^ "MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dies suddenly". 3AW. 1 May 2023. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  53. ^ "MasterChef Australia to return to air, preceded by tribute to judge Jock Zonfrillo". ABC News. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  54. ^ a b Frater, Patrick (3 May 2023). "Jock Zonfrillo Family Backs 'MasterChef Australia' Broadcast Return". Variety. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  55. ^ Jock Zonfrillo's Fellow Superstar Chefs Share Their Memories Of An Incredible Man, 7 May 2023, retrieved 14 May 2023
  56. ^ "MasterChef Australia star Jock Zonfrillo's secret bowel cancer battle revealed". www.nzherald.co.nz. 1 May 2023.
  57. ^ Wilkinson, Simon (3 November 2014). "Orana named Restaurant of the Year". The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  58. ^ "Advertiser Food Awards: Orana named Adelaide's best restaurant". The Advertiser.
  59. ^ "Full List Of Winners From The 2015 SA Restaurant And Catering Awards For Excellence". Glam Adelaide. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  60. ^ "SA eateries shine in national restaurant awards". The Adelaide Review. 24 August 2015. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  61. ^ Lethlean, John (11 August 2016). "Hot 50 Restaurants". Archived from the original on 10 September 2017.
  62. ^ "2017 Hot50 restaurants SA". The Australian. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  63. ^ "All the Good Food Guide 2018 award winners". Good Food. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  64. ^ Jepsen, Belinda (24 August 2017). "The best restaurant in Australia isn't in Sydney or Melbourne". Mamamia. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  65. ^ "MasterChef's Next Generation Has A Bold New Flavour". ViacomCBS ANZ. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  66. ^ "All the Good Food Guide 2018 award winners". Good Food. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  67. ^ Barth, Jill. "Winner Of Basque Culinary World Prize: 'Give Back More Than You Take'". Forbes. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  68. ^ "Who was that MasterChef hottie?". NewsComAu. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  69. ^ Rigden, Clare (22 July 2015). "Jock Zonfrillo: Reluctant restaurant revolutionary". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  70. ^ "New deal for SA cooking show Chef Exchange is a huge tourism boost". The Advertiser.
  71. ^ "Production Begins on Chef Exchange Series 2". 57 Films. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  72. ^ "MasterChef finalists battle it out on Sydney Harbour". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  73. ^ "'MasterChef' has called in one of Australia's culinary big guns for Best Of The Best Week". 10 Daily. Archived from the original on 25 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  74. ^ "MasterChef season 13: Everything you need to know about the judges". Mediaweek. 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  75. ^ Qazi, Basmah (14 April 2022). ""Everything Has Changed": Jock Zonfrillo On How Far 'MasterChef Australia' Has Come Since Season 1". The Latch. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jock_Zonfrillo&oldid=1260392181"