Thornlie cook deemed weakest link

as posted here

Helen Ganska, tv editor
May 22, 2009 05:27am

THORNLIE fishmonger Joshua Catalano has been evicted from Channel 10's reality series MasterChef, but today he's cooking up a storm on Perth radio.

This morning he will be taking up a challenge from Nova radio station personalities Nathan and Nat to whip up a meal from the contents of the radio station's fridge.

From 8.30am Catalano will be on-air talking about his shock elimination from the highly-rating reality show last night and thinking what to do with Nova's employees lunches and leftovers.

The three judges, chefs and restaurateurs Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris and food critic Matt Wilson, often felt that Catalano was too laid back in his approach in the fiercely competitive competition, but his dish rated highly with the judges.

However the red team lost and he was deemed by his fellow contestants to be the weakest link.

"We had a team challenge and I was pretty much tactically chosen by the red team to break up the so-called 'kiddie mafia' group with Kate and Sam and I," he said.

"It is really strange as my dish in that challenge was the highest scored dish out of our team and yet Chris serves up raw chicken and stays in the competition."

He was voted off by the red team but was lost for words as to why they eliminated him from the competition.

"They cited my food knowledge as the reason for voting me off - it had nothing to do with my cooking abilities," he said.

"When the red team went to vote I don't think I was the weakest link, but I was still voted off.

"I have come to terms with their decision now - it is a competition and these things happen in reality TV and maybe people vote tactically too."

The "kiddie mafia" group, named by outed competitor Brent, and discussed in the media is dismissed by Catalano who said the three of them are just close friends.

"We never sat there and plotted anything - we are just close friends," he explained.

"In the house we spent a lot of time together together.

"In fact Sam and I became really close and talked about things that we probably haven't shared with anybody else.

"You become really close to people when you spend every day cooking with them and sharing a house with them too."

Catalano was stoked to have made it into the top 50 competitors let alone into the final 20 - and has no regrets.

"Those Masterclasses with George and Gary were invaluable - I had to think what you would pay to listen to their advice," he said.

"This competition has really focused me - especially fuelled when Matt Preston said that he would pay money in a restaurant for my dish.

"I know I have a talent and I have to pursue it.

"I still dream of opening a seafood restaurant - but I had to put everything on hold while I went into the competition and now I have come back to bills that need to be paid and I still have a job to do.

"We have just opened out fourth retail store in Karrinyup and so as a start plan to do cooking demonstrations.

"The other retails stores are Garden City, Morley Galleria and in IGA in Joondalup - and I will also look at some cooking demonstrations at the Catalano operation in Collier Road on Saturday mornings."

Catalano thought that Nedlands-born Julia, who beat celebrity chef Peter Evans in the head-to-head challenge on Tuesday, will be in the final up against Sam and Chris - but said that Chris will take out the first Australian MasterChef title.


as posted here