In a season filled with returnees, it’s no surprise that some of the MasterChef Australia 2025 contestants own some very well-known restaurants.
While it may seem like the contestants with extensive culinary experience have the upper hand over those who don’t, judge Andy Allen told Chattr ahead of the MasterChef Australia 2025 season that he didn’t believe it was necessarily an advantage.
“There are people like Andre [Ursini], who’s in the first season, and he’s gone out and opened restaurants, but you don’t just walk back into the kitchen, you need some time to get used to your surroundings. Whereas you’ve got people from last season like Snezana [Calic], so she’s still kind of match fit, so it’s like muscle memory for her,” he explained.
But as we reach the pointy end of the competition, it’s clear that those who carved out a name for themselves in the hospitality world after their first MasterChef Australia stint are truly thriving, with more than half of the remaining top seven contestants owning restaurants.
Read on to find out what restaurants the remaining MasterChef 2025 Back to Win contestants own, and their history in the food industry.
Ben Macdonald
While Ben doesn’t currently own an eatery, following his original stint on season 6 of MasterChef Australia, he ran a café named Buoy in Auckland’s Westhaven Marina. After that, he launched his own catering business for five years, Ben’s Kitchen, which offered bistro-style food.
Callum Hann
Callum has had one of the most successful post-MasterChef Australia careers of all time. After coming runner-up on his initial stint in 2010, he went on to win MasterChef All Stars in 2012, which was a spin-off of the original series. He also competed in MasterChef Australia 2020: Back to Win.
Outside of the show, Callum owns three restaurants: Lou’s Place in the Barossa Valley, Olive (a Mediterranean restaurant) and Roma (an Italian eatery) in Adelaide’s CBD. The South Australian cook is also the director of the cooking school Sprout, and Dietary Hawk, an online training platform for chefs.
Depinder Chhibber
Depinder doesn’t own a restaurant, but she does have her own food business. After competing on MasterChef Australia Season 13, she launched her own supper club called Ghar in Newcastle, where she offers diners her homestyle Thali in a home-dining atmosphere.
Jamie Fleming
Jamie was another MasterChef Australia Season 6 contestant, and five years after his time on the show, he opened the award-winning Alba Bar & Deli in Brisbane. However, he closed the establishment in 2024, citing economic pressure as the reason. The same year, Jamie and his partner moved to the Sunshine Coast and opened Spill Wine in Maleny.
Laura Sharrad
Laura’s culinary career has been thriving ever since her first appearance on MasterChef Australia, and she’s still found time to compete on three seasons of the show. Laura came runner-up on Season 2 and Season 6, and is currently in the top seven of Back To Win.
Outside of Masterchef Australia, she owns Adelaide’s successful pasta bar Nido and New York-inspired Italo-American eatery Fugazzi Bar & Dining with her husband.
Sarah Todd
After her first stint on the cooking show, Sarah took her culinary career international and opened Antares Restaurant & Beach Club in Goa, India. She’s back for her third try at the MasterChef crown after competing on Seasons 6 and 14.
Snezana Calic
Snez is the most recent returning contestant who’s still in the running to win MasterChef Australia 2025. She placed 15th on Season 16, which aired in 2024, and left the competition before reaching her full potential after struggling in a Pressure Test set by Anna Polyviou.
With just a year between her MasterChef appearances, Snez hasn’t had a chance to launch her own food business, but we have a feeling it won’t be far off.
MasterChef Australia airs on Sunday at 7pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
Want to CHATTR with us? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more entertainment news.
