When mother of three, Julie Goodwin, was crowned Masterchef last year it inspired many ordinary Australians to improve their skills in the kitchen.
Well, now wannabe contestants are preparing for 2010 auditions by signing up for the country's first master chef style cooking class.
Professional Chef Alison Taafe decided to run the classes after seeing how many people were inspired by the reality show and the demand for "real cookery training without having to be a professional apprentice".
"We opened applications for the course shortly after Christmas and it sold out in the first week," she says.
Although the course is not aligned to the show, the eight-week cooking school is in the same format as the show and aims to prepare students on how to have the best chance of scoring a spot on the show.
"Yes that's my whole goal, to get them eight lessons over eight weeks one night a week to get a signature dish right at end," she says.
"And who knows, perhaps you could be joining the queues for the next auditions for Masterchef."
Former Masterchef entrant Geni Papacostas will also mentor the students from her own experience. She came seventh in the show and knows what the judges are looking for and how tough they can be.
The course covers knife skills, preparation, culinary terminology, cooking methods, plating techniques, deserts and pastries.
At 16, Alison trained at London's prestigious Westminster Hotel School, where one of the famous graduates is celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
She ten headed over to US to cook for two US presidents — Reagan and Bush Snr. She's also cooked for the Queen.
And after spending the last 13 years training professionals, she's recently wrote a cook book Fun Fast and Fabulous Food to inspire Masterchef amateurs.
To find out more about Alison's cooking school, visit:
www.learncookdine.com
To find out more about Alison and her cookbook, visit:
www.alisontaafe.com
