Savindri Perera, otherwise known as Sav, is bringing spice to MasterChef Australia 2024 – both with her exceptional cooking and her firey personality.

The Sri Lankan-born cook uses inspiration from her own country, to create dishes that have blown away judges Poh Ling Yeow, Andy Allen, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Sofia Levin.

Here’s everything we know about Sav.

Sav’s personal life

Sav was born in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo and she lived with her older sister Chethanee, her late Mum Chandrika and Dad Chethiya.

Sav moved to Adelaide where she was 18. Now, 30, she works as a banking consultant, and cooks as a hobby.

She sadly lost her mum in 2017, who she cites as her “food hero”, as per 10Play. Sav said that her mum’s passing was “a long road through the many stages of grief” but she feels ready to take on MasterChef to “honour her mother’s memory”.

“Cooking isn’t just the love of my life, but it is also my eulogy to my mother. It has been, for the past three years. It has been my long winded, never ending letter of farewell to her,” Sav wrote on Instagram in a tribute to her late mother.

Sav’s cooking style

Sav describes her cooking style as “rustic, generous and colourful” and she counts “onion, garlic and curry leaves” as some of her favourite ingredients.

She is an expert when it comes to combining flavours – especially those predominantly in Sri Lankan cooking – and won’t shy away from dishes with lots of ingredients. She believes her ability to balance the six tastes will give her an edge, as will her baking expertise.

Sav plans to put to use all the skills she learnt from her mum’s delicious cooking, as well as the culinary traditions she was raised with.

Watch MasterChef Australia from Sunday – Thursday on Channel 10 and 10 Play.

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