Australiaâs food and hospitality sector has suffered in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, with the government restricting restaurants to only takeaway and delivery services and asking people to maintain social distancing.
âMasterChefâs Larrisa Takchi believes the industry already showed signs of major struggles back in early February before Covid-19 was as big a health crisis as it now is in Australia.
Speaking to HuffPost Australia, the 2019 series winner said the closure of 12 restaurants under former âMasterChefâ judge George Calombarisâ group, MAdE Establishment Group, was the first signal of how âcrippledâ the industry would become.
In February Calombaris, who was a judge on âMasterChefâ from 2009 to 2019, confirmed his company, MAdE Establishment was going into voluntary administration.
âThis industry is tough as it is, the year 2020 has yet confirmed this. I think it all started with George Calombaris. What happened to him was so unfair and unforgiving, it almost turned me against the industry itself,â she said.
âAnd now weâre faced with the worldâs worst epidemic. A lot of restaurants and cafes have now closed because they simply canât afford to open, this situation has literally crippled our industry.â
In the wake of Covid-19, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said last month that pubs, registered and licensed clubs, gyms and indoor sporting venues would shut down, while restaurants and cafes will be limited to takeaway and delivery orders only.
Larissa, whose familyâs Western Sydney cafe has now adapted to delivery and takeaway services, said she suspects the pandemic could discourage aspiring chefs.
âFor those bright eyed, bushy tailed chefs entering this industry, [they] must be feeling deflated and unsure of the future. I sure as hell do!â she said.
âHowever Iâm pushing for something great here. If Masterchef taught me anything, itâs not to ever give up on your dreams.â
Adam Liaw: No Work For âAlmost Six Monthsâ
âMasterChef Australiaâs 2010 winer Adam Liaw, who regularly does cooking demonstrations, speaking appearances and collaborations with food brands and travel companies, admitted almost all of the next six months of work opportunities have dried up.
âI think certainly my work kind of straddles the travel, food and arts industry â so I would say the three worst affected industries from all of this,â Adam told HuffPost Australia in March.
âCertainly thereâs a lot of people in all of those industries that are doing it very tough at the moment. So Iâve obviously got a bit more time on my hands then, as we all do, to sit at home.â
Having said that, the father-of-three has a six-month-old baby that will keep him somewhat busy, while he promised thereâs still a few projects âthat Iâm looking forward to getting my teeth intoâ.
MasterChef: Back To Winâs Reynold Poernomo Reopens Dessert Bars
The 26-year-oldâs two Koi Dessert Bars in Sydneyâs Chippendale and Ryde reopened for takeaway and delivery ahead of the Easter long weekend.
With âno specific datesâ surrounding the governmentâs social distancing rules, Reynold said the waiting game wasnât practical for him and his brothers, whom he opened the restaurants with.
âWe werenât sure, the government didnât really say anything about how long this lockdown would be,â he told HuffPost Australia.
âWe thought about it like, âYeah we canât just sit around and do nothing. We need to do somethingâ.
âItâs getting really boring and everyone in isolation was very bored,â he explained. âThereâs a lot of home cooking happening and itâs time for us to come get back into work and support our staff as well, and of course support ourselves.â
Reynold became a household name on Australian TV and was dubbed the âDessert Kingâ after appearing in season seven of âMasterChef Australiaâ in 2015.
Heâs now one of 24 former contestants returning to the show for its 12th season, âMasterchef Australia: Back To Winâ, which premieres on Easter Monday.