Gary Mehigan is a man constantly on the move. Between headlining the Good Food and Wine Show, globe-trotting for international culinary tours, and launching new ventures, I was lucky enough to steal five minutes with the busy icon himself to find out what he has in store.
Also, a little selfishly, I was dying for him to reveal his tips on how to make the perfect sauce; you know, the ones that used to make the MasterChef judges want to drink the sauce like wine!
So, with me pulling on Gary’s arm and the PR team gently pulling on the other trying to whisk him away to his next commitment, I started shooting questions.
I was a little nervous and star-struck, to be honest, but lucky for me, he could have talked for hours. That’s when I really understood how genuinely passionate Gary is about food.
Life after MasterChef Australia has been incredibly busy for Gary. He’s been curating luxury foodie tours across India and Vietnam, opened his modern Asian venture Moga Moba, and continues to share his love for cooking with live audiences as a staple at the Good Food and Wine Show.
“I’ve always loved it because you are so connected to the audience, especially in the celebrity theatre,” says Gary of the annual event. “People are just fascinated by what I’m doing and I kind of come off stage and go, ‘Wow, that feels good!’”
The fascination with food in Australia is only getting stronger, and Gary is always expecting a massive reception from the crowds. “I’m kind of like a rock star in the foodie scene, I love it!”
So, before Gary was finally whisked away, I asked the question we’ve all been dying to know!
How DO you make the perfect sauce?
“That alchemy is playing with flavours
Gary says it’s all about balance: “That alchemy is playing with flavours. Coaxing flavour out of it, yes, but right at the end you have to have balance.
“I once made a sauce when I competed against George and Shannon, which, to be honest, was pure luck. I made a sauce out of the bones of monkfish – which I have done before – but then I used miso, and then I balanced it with lime… and it was when I put the lime juice in I went mmm, nah… and then I put a bit more lime juice in and I went ah! That’s it!”
