Billie McKay (born 11 July 1991) is an Australian cook, known for winning the seventh and fourteenth series of MasterChef Australia.
Billie McKay | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 July 1991 Bowraville, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Television cook |
| Predecessor | Brent Owens (series 6) Justin Narayan (series 13) |
| Successor | Elena Duggan (season 8) Brent Draper (season 15) |
| Spouse | Hayden Quinn (season 3) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Winner, MasterChef Australia 2015 , 2022. Winner, "The Masked Singer Australia" 2023 |
Early life edit
McKay was raised on a dairy farm in Bowraville, New South Wales[1] and attended Macksville High School.[2] Prior to competing on MasterChef, she was a restaurant manager in Ballina, New South Wales.[3]
Career edit
She is best known as the winner of the seventh series of MasterChef Australia. Her prizes included $250,000, an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and a monthly column in Delicious., an Australian food magazine. Following the final, guest judge Heston Blumenthal offered her a job at his restaurant The Fat Duck,[4] which she accepted.
In 2019, McKay returned to MasterChef Australia's eleventh series as a mentor, sharing the position with season eight runner-up Matt Sinclair and the first series' runner up, Poh Ling Yeow.[5]
In 2022, McKay returned to compete on the show's fourteenth season, which featured a mix of returning contestants and new contenders. She won the title for the second time defeating Sarah Todd in the Grand Finale.
In 2023, Mckay went on to join The Masked Singer Australia on its fifth season, in which she ended up winning the season.
References edit
- ^ Ramsey, Britt (7 May 2015). "Bowraville's Billie McKay to cook for chefs". nambuccaguardian.com.au. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Macksville High School Magazine 2009" (PDF). macksville-h.schools.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ Broome, Hamish (11 May 2015). "Ballina cook will make Masterchef final 22". northernstar.com.au.
- ^ "MasterChef winner scores cash, car, column AND a new job with Heston Blumenthal". news.com.au. 27 July 2015. Archived from the original on 13 November 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ Houston, Melinda (25 April 2019). "'The anxiety's still there': Former MasterChef Contestants Return". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 July 2019.