What is chef Jock Zonfrillo's net worth? MasterChef Australia judge passes away aged 46

MasterChef Australia, which was set to return to screens on Monday, May 1, 2023, has postponed the premiere of season 15 to pay respects to the late Jock Zonfrillo. Chef Jock, who joined the culinary show in 2019, passed away on April 30, 2023. The celebrity chef’s family took to his Instagram account to announce his demise.

The chef started working at the young age of 12 and made a name for himself as he grew up. His latest reported net worth stood at $5 million and was largely credited to his work as a chef and a television personality. GeniusCelebs reported that Zock annually earned $500,000 from the culinary show, which is the same as Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.

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MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo started his career young by working as part-time dishwasher

The MasterChef Australia judge started working at the age of 12 as a part-time dishwasher and dropped out of school by the time he was 15 to work in Turnberry’s Hotel’s kitchens. The award-winning chef was awarded Young Scottish Chef of the Year in 1993, and the recognition helped him move to Chester, then to London, where he worked under Marco Pierre White.

The MasterChef Australia judge first visited Australia in 1996 and permanently moved there in 2000 before becoming the head chef at Restaurant 41 in Sydney. In 2011, he became the head chef at Penfolds Magill Estate, where he worked for 18 months.

The chef opened his first fine dining restaurant in 2013 in Orana, Adeliade, where the menu featured native Australian ingredients such as Kakadu plums, Bunya nuts, and native sea succulents. The restaurant received Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year in 2018 and the Good Food Guide the following year.

In 2016, Chef Jock started a charitable foundation called the Orana Foundation with the aim of highlighting the potential of Australian native ingredients. A year later, the organization was awarded a grant of $1.25 million by the South Australian Government.

While he was famously known for his time on MasterChef Australia, Jock began his television career in 2014 as the host of Nomad Chef. He later appeared on Restaurant Revolution as a host in 2015, following which he appeared as a guest chef on MasterChef Australia in 2019.

In 2021, he published his memoir, Last Shot, which narrated his time in the kitchen while he battled addiction and mental health issues. While some publications claimed that many details of the books were “either false or exaggerated,” Jock Zonfrillo spoke to Guardian Australia to clear things up. He said:

"This is the story of my life. I’ve lived every minute of it, the highs and lows, and I stand by it."

He further opened up about his life last year during an appearance on The Project. During the appearance, the MasterChef Australia judge opened up about his addiction, aggression, and homelessness.

Jock said that “being a junkie was the worst,” adding that he was homeless for three months when Marco Pierre found him and became a life-changing influence on him. He also remarked that if he didn’t have the mentors that he did, his life would have been completely different.

Jock Zonfrillo is survived by his wife, Lauren, and their four children, Ava, Sophia, Alfie, and Isla.