Former Kiama High School student Cassie Delves is making a name for herself on Channel 10's hit show, MasterChef: The Professionals.
FOR former Kiama High School student Cassie Delves, seeing herself on TV every night is a strange experience.
Ms Delves is currently participating in Channel 10's new show, MasterChef: The Professionals, a spin-off from the popular MasterChef series in which professional chefs compete instead of amateurs.
"It's really strange to see yourself on TV every night, it's definitely something I never expected I'd be doing and now I can understand why people say they hate sound of their own voice," she said.
While she is yet to celebrate her 20th birthday, her appearance on MasterChef: The Professionals is just the latest in a string of achievements for Ms Delves, who has worked in some of Australia's best restaurants.
"Working at Bilson's was definitely a dream come true. I always wanted to start from the top, and starting there when I was 18, when I barely knew a lot of things was amazing," she said.
"Working 80 hours a week and getting used to not seeing my friends and family was a bit difficult, but it was worth it."
While she had served under chefs Tony Bilson at Bilson's and Justin North at Becasse, Ms Delves still wasn't sure she would make it on to the show.
"I got asked to apply for the show, so I did that and we had to submit our resume and a written piece about our influences and that sort of thing.
"After that, we went through an interview process and psych examinations to make sure we could handle being in front of the camera and that sort of thing, and after that we had a practical test where we had to cook a meal in 45 minutes with the camera on us."
Even though she got on well with the producers during the interview process and performed well during the practical component, she was still concerned about the psych analysis and whether she would be considered too young for the show.
"Then I got a call saying I'd been accepted and then [judge] Matt [Preston] showed up at my house with my MasterChef jacket," she said.
With the show still broadcasting, Ms Delves is waiting until its completion before deciding on her next move.
