Melissa Leong (born 1982) is an Australian freelance food writer, food critic, television host, radio broadcaster, cookbook editor and marketer. She is currently a judge on

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

's ''

Dessert Masters ''Dessert Masters'', also known as ''MasterChef: Dessert Masters'', is an Australian cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine Australia which premiered on 12 November 2023 on Network 10. It is a spin-off of ''MasterChef Australia'', itsel ...

'' alongside

Amaury Guichon Amaury Guichon (born 15 March 1991) is a French-Swiss pastry chef and chocolatier. He is known for his pastry designs and chocolate sculptures. Early life and training Guichon was born to a Swiss mother and a French father and grew up on the H ...

and was previously a judge on ''

MasterChef Australia ''MasterChef Australia'' is an Australian competitive cooking reality show based on the original British ''MasterChef (British TV series), MasterChef''. It is produced by Endemol Shine Australia and screens on Network 10. Restaurateur and ch ...

'' from 2020 to 2023, alongside Andy Allen and

Jock Zonfrillo Barry "Jock" Zonfrillo (4 August 1976 – 1 May 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 Zonfrillo was born in Glasgow, S ...

Early life

Leong was born in 1982 in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Her parents emigrated to Australia from Singapore.

Career

She co-hosted ''

The Chefs' Line ''The Chefs' Line'' is an Australian reality competitive cooking show. The series features four home cooks in each episode who compete against professional chefs in a studio kitchen. The challenge is to create their personal versions of a chosen ...

'' with chefs Dan Hong and

Mark Olive Mark Olive (born 1962), also known as the Black Olive, is an Aboriginal Australian chef. Olive was born in Wollongong in 1962 and is a Bundjalung man. Olive had a cooking segment on the ABC's ''Message Stick'' TV seriesMessage SticMark Olive & ...

for two seasons in 2017, and 2018. In October 2019, it was announced that Leong would be joining Network 10's cooking competition show ''

'', as a new judge alongside

and Andy Allen, after former judges

Matt Preston Matt Preston (born 21 July 1961) is an English-Australian food critic, writer, food journalist, television and radio presenter. Preston has a weekly national food column that appears in NewsCorp's metro newspapers. He is also a senior editor ...

Gary Mehigan Gary Mehigan (born 12 February 1967) is an English-Australian chef and restaurateur. Mehigan was one of the original judges of the Network 10 series ''MasterChef Australia''. Career Chef Mehigan trained at The Connaught (hotel), The Connau ...

and

George Calombaris George Dimitrios Calombaris (; born 4 October 1978) is a Greek Australian chef and restaurateur and television personality. Calombaris was one of the judges of the Network 10 series ''MasterChef Australia'' from 2009 to 2019. Prior to his role ...

left the series when Ten refused to meet the trio's pay rise demands. Leong, Zonfrillo and Allen debuted on episode one of the show's twelfth season, which premiered on 13 April 2020. Later that year, Network 10 announced that a third season of ''MasterChef'' spin-off ''

Junior MasterChef Australia ''Junior MasterChef Australia'' (known colloquially as MasterChef Kids) is an Australian competitive cooking game show. It is a spin-off of ''MasterChef Australia'', itself an adaptation of the British show ''MasterChef'', and featured contestant ...

,'' was set to air in October 2020, with Leong appearing as a judge alongside Allen and Zonfrillo. In November 2020, Leong was named Who's Sexiest Person of 2020 by ''Who'' magazine. In May 2021, it was announced that Leong would appear as a judge in another MasterChef spinoff, the second season of ''

Celebrity MasterChef Australia ''Celebrity MasterChef Australia'' is an Australian competitive cooking game show. It is a spin-off of ''MasterChef Australia'', itself an adaptation of the British show ''MasterChef'', and features celebrity contestants. The first series began ...

'' alongside Allen and Zonfrillo. In late 2022, Leong was announced as a judge on the all new ''MasterChef'' spinoff series, titled ''

.'' She judged and co-hosted the show alongside international pastry chef

. Network 10 announced in their 2023 upfronts that the series was to be aired in the second half of 2023, after the fifteenth season of ''MasterChef Australia'' finishes. In October 2023, it was announced that Leong would not be returning as a host of ''MasterChef Australia''.

Personal life

Leong has had depression and anxiety throughout her life and has an autoimmune condition which has caused chronic insomnia and loss of hair. Leong married Joe Jones in 2017. In December 2020, she announced the two have separated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leong, Melissa Living people 1982 births Australian people of Chinese descent People from Sydney