Darrsh Clarke is a contestant on MasterChef Australia Season 16 & 17. He is placed 6th on Season 16 & 15th on Season 17.
Biography[]
Retrieved from 10play.com.au
Season 16[]
Having represented Western Australia on both the basketball and volleyball court over the years, Darrsh Clarke brings a competitive spirit to the MasterChef Australia kitchen that he hopes will give him an edge.
Growing up the only child of Sri Lankan parents, Darrsh’s love of food was heavily influenced by his late father, a chef in an Indian restaurant whom Darrsh would watch in the kitchen, in awe. To this day, his Dad remains the biggest influence on how Darrsh approaches life, with passion and creativity, two traits that he will bring to the MasterChef Australia competition.
Darrsh was also inspired by his grandmother, who shared many Sri Lankan food traditions and introduced him to a love of baking as young as age six.
Though he always loved to cook, Darrsh steered away from his passion to make his parents proud, beginning an Engineering degree, before completing a Management and Marketing degree. His career since has spanned marketing and, more recently, management consultant roles.
A self-taught cook with a free-flowing style, Darrsh brings a versatility across both savoury and sweet, but he has a knack for desserts and loves the precision and technical detail they require, delighting in turning humble ingredients into works of art. He jokes that he has the biggest sweet tooth - doughnuts, cakes and ice cream are his kryptonite!
With a love of entertaining, Darrsh gets a buzz from people’s reactions when they see his food, the look when they take their first bite and the feeling he gets when they go in for more. The reward is addictive.
Looking up to luminaries like Alex Atala, Jamie Oliver, Cédric Grolet, and MasterChef Australia alum Reynold Poernomo, Darrsh loves fusion cuisine and of course, the curries of his childhood, as well as challenging himself with other cuisines.
Driven and focussed, Darrsh will have his Dad’s words to follow his dreams echoing in his ears throughout the competition, keeping his eyes on the prize, with a dream to one day have his own fusion bar and restaurant.[1]
Season 17[]
Darrsh Clarke is hoping his back-to-back appearance in the MasterChef Australia kitchen isn’t the only ace up his sleeve this year. Following season 16, Darrsh relocated from Perth to Melbourne to give himself the best opportunity to chase his food dreams, immersing himself in Melbourne’s thriving culinary scene.
Darrsh also moved into a share house with none other than 2024 MasterChef Australia winner Nat Thaipun, and fellow contestant David Tan. The talented trio now cook each other gourmet meals for dinner, leading Darrsh to re-enter the competition ready to match it with some of the MasterChef Australia kitchen’s biggest names.
Fresh from his sixth placing last year, Darrsh is aware he’ll need to move fast in the kitchen to plate up his best dishes, multitasking and remaining focussed. Inspired behind the bench by chefs like Alex Atala and Jordi Roca, Darrsh is feeling invigorated to push himself each day and live up to his admission of being a curious cook.
Growing up the only child of Sri Lankan parents, Darrsh’s love of food was heavily influenced by his late father, a chef in an Indian restaurant whom Darrsh would watch in the kitchen, in awe. To this day, his Dad remains the biggest influence on how Darrsh approaches life - with passion and creativity. Having represented Western Australia in both basketball and volleyball over the years, Darrsh brings a finely tuned competitive edge to the kitchen that he will definitely need.
Though known for his high-level sweets game, Darrsh is ready to break the mould of just being the dessert guy, planning to showcase more creative and experimental dishes, taking risks and pushing boundaries in the kitchen to maximum effect. He will lean into his Sri Lankan heritage, and plate up both sweet and savoury dishes inspired by his heritage.
Outside of the kitchen Darrsh enjoys showcasing small bites fusing the best of Australian and Sri Lankan cuisine.[2]
Trivia[]
Season 16[]
- He, Harry, & Nat won the first Mystery Box Challenge of the season.
Gallery[]
Season 16[]
References[]
External links[]
Darrsh Clarke on Instagram