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Interview: MasterChef Showcases The Best Of South Australia With Gary Mehigan

The MasterChef contestants visit the best place on earth this week—and you better believe we’re talking about South Australia!

Just this Sunday we saw the MasterChef contestants visit the best place on earth—and you better believe we’re talking about South Australia! Glam Adelaide chatted to chef and judge, Gary Mehigan, to hear about some of the cool things they’ll get up to and what he loves most about our State.

Apparently the contestants and crew were ecstatic when they heard MasterChef was spending a week in South Australia—so were we! “The judges have an entirely different experience to the crew and contestants going somewhere like that. We’re like, ‘Great! Let’s go out! Let’s book at Shobosho, let’s book at Orana!’ It’s a great food experience for us too,” he says. And we totally get it—South Australia is the perfect place to work hard and play hard.

The MasterChef SA Week showcases some of the most iconic foodie destinations across the State. Monday night, we also saw the MasterChef contestants cooking up a storm at the d’Arenberg Cube and getting creative with a 3D-printer! They’ve also headed to some of our favourite places, like Mount Lofty House, and tonight they visit Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop & Eatery—a necessary pit stop for anyone traveling up in the Barossa.

“We can wax lyrical about how beautiful the place is,” says Gary (and he’s not wrong—the surrounding orchard and aquamarine lake make for the perfect coffee and cake backdrop), “but it’s really about her impact on the area.” Maggie, he tells us, is so passionate about the Barossa and the variety of wines and quality produce that comes from the area, which is why the contestants love working with her and why MasterChef returns to the farm shop and café whenever they get the chance.

This year, “South Australia has really proved that it’s punching above its own weight,” says Gary. “It’s a very special place.”

Locals know this very well, but the message is for all those who have never had the chance to experience our extraordinary variety of produce and the benefit of having some of the most gorgeous wine regions within a forty-five minute drive from the city! South Australia is truly a unique place—we’ve been saying it for years, so we’re happy everyone else is catching on.

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Before MasterChef aired, we also talked to George Calombaris about his favourite eateries in Adelaide, so we asked Gary too! His stand out is Orana by renowned chef Jock Zonfrillo. “What a lot of Australian’s forget is that, internationally, that is one restaurant that people want to go to, so they’re coming from Italy, France, and America—specifically because he’s doing something unique with indigenous ingredients,” he explains.

We romanticize the idea of how amazing the food is overseas, but Gary points out that we forget the same thing exists in our own country—so if you’re looking for an internationally acclaimed restaurant to enjoy an exceptional and distinctive experience, just have a look around you!

Tune in to Network Ten at 7:30pm tonight to catch the best of South Australia and get inspired by our superb State!

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