MasterChef Australia viewers are already falling in love with ‘hot’ new judge Jock Zonfrillo.
But many would be surprised that the 43-year-old Scottish-born chef and philanthropist has a dark past, and for many years had a crippling addiction to heroin which led to homelessness and financial ruin.
Jock’s life spiralled out of control when he tried the drug for the first time at the age of 15, while growing up in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1980s.
Tragic: Celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo overcame a drug addiction and homelessness before his success and landing his job as a judge on MasterChef
HEROIN ADDICTION AND HOMELESSNESS
Within two years, his addiction had taken over his life and he found himself estranged from his family, homeless, broke and desperate for a job in the culinary industry.
He credits chef Marco Pierre White for saving his life, after he knocked on the British culinary king’s door begging for work when he was 17 and had run out of options.
‘He arranged a youth hostel for me to stay in and lent me money that was to be paid back out of my wages. That sums up Marco – generous beyond measure,’ Jock told The Advertiser in 2017, reflecting on all of Marco’s help.
Early life: JJock’s life spiralled out of control when he tried the drug for the first time at the age of 15, while growing up in Glasgow , Scotland in the 1980s. Pictured Jock around 2008
MAKING IT OUT ALIVE
Jock continued to struggle with drug abuse until he moved to Australia in 2000.
He did drugs for the last time in Heathrow Airport before boarding a flight to Sydney with his first wife, saying his love of food helped him beat his addiction.
‘A lot of my friends from my early days are dead now or in jail. The thing about being a junkie is that the only way you can get out is if there’s something in your life more compelling than drugs,’ he told the Financial Times in 2017.
‘And for me, I had another addiction: to food and to cooking. That’s what moved me on. That’s how I survived.’
‘My friends from my early days are dead now or in jail’: Jock struggled with drug abuse until he moved to Australia in 2000, before dedicating his career to Indigenous food and culture
TWO DIVORCES AND A THIRD WIFE
Once clean in Australia, it was Jock’s personal life which took a hit during his quest for culinary perfection, as he put all of his energy into building his food empire.
He told Adelaide Now in 2014 his business aspirations had unfortunately ‘two divorces and a handful of friends’.
He said he had a ‘mistrust of most people and can count his close friends on one hand’.
Thankfully Jock is now happily married to third wife, businesswoman Lauren Fried, who is pregnant with their second child. He has two other children from his first two marriages.
Family: Jock’s quest for success resulted in two divorces before meeting third wife, Lauren Fried (pictured). He has a ‘mistrust of most people’ and doesn’t have many close friends
Pregnant: Lauren is currently pregnant with their second child together. Jock has two other children from his first two marriages
THE $700,000 GAMBLE
Jock opened his restaurant Orana in Adelaide in 2013, but it wasn’t an instant success.
According to his Financial Times profile, the business lost a staggering $700,000 in the first year and at one stage Jock had 23 credit cards just to ‘spread the load’.
After being open for a second year, the business was down $500,000, and then the year after that $157,000 down – before it eventually broke even.
In more recently times the eatery has seen a big turnaround – Orana has been awarded Restaurant of the Year several times thanks to Jock’s use of Australian indigenous ingredients in his cooking.
And in 2016, Jock started The Orana Foundation – a not-for-profit organisation that aims to preserve the cooking techniques and ingredients of The First Australians.
Gamble: Jock (pictured) opened Restaurant Orana in Adelaide in 2013, and in $700,000 worth of debt after the first year it was opened. It took years until he broke even, according to the Financial Times
In more recently times the eatery has seen a big turnaround – Orana has been repeatedly awarded Restaurant of the Year thanks to Jock’s use of Australian indigenous ingredients in his cooking
FACING LOSING IT ALL
The current coronavirus pandemic has hit Jock hard.
He has been forced to close Orana’s doors indefinitely, but is continuing to pay staff until the business ‘runs out of money’ and is unsure if they’ll ever open up again.
‘We are sending our team on paid annual leave after service tonight, this will inevitably move into unpaid leave. We will however continue to pay our team until the bank account is drained or we can reopen our doors,’ he said in March.
‘Other than my three children, Restaurant Orana opening, surviving and thriving is what I am most proud of in my life. I know we have had impact on Indigenous communities, and whether I have a restaurant at the end of this or not who knows.’
Meanwhile, as MasterChef continues production in Melbourne amid the pandemic, Jock is unable to see his pregnant wife of children back home in Adelaide.
He said his risk of exposure to the deadly virus is too high to return home regularly, despite Channel 10 going to extreme social distancing measures on set.
Uncertainty:However, the current coronavirus pandemic has hit Jock hard. He has been forced to close Orana’s doors indefinitely, but is continuing to pay staff until the business ‘runs out of money’ and is unsure if they’ll ever open up again. Pictured: Jock’s staff
Fresh: Jock is one of MasterChef’s new judges with Andy Allen and Melissa Leong (pictured)
