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Melissa Leong’s way with words when describing food has captured the hearts — and stomachs — of the nation. But her love of food is not the only thing she has inherited from her mother
WORDS SIOBHAN DUCK
Savouring success
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For years, the fashionsavvy Melissa Leong wouldn’t contemplate buying white clothing.
In her line of work — where slurping spaghetti, sampling slippery dumplings and dining on desserts oozing with sauce is a daily requirement — it would be just too dangerous to risk the dry-cleaning bills!
It’s only recently that the MasterChef judge has softened her stance on light and white.
“The older I get, the less
I worry about it because, really, if you spill a bit of sauce or wine on yourself, who cares?” the 39-year-old says.
As a first-generation immigrant of parents who came to Australia from
Singapore in the 1970s, Melissa says food is in her DNA.
“When you come from such a small island where people love to eat and shop, you become very good at both — and I have,” she remarks.
“When you come from a family where food is how you communicate, it’s your love language. Like a lot of Chinese families, we are not a very touchy-feely family. We don’t hug all the time. Food is the way we show love.”
One of Melissa’s earliest memories is helping her mother pound fresh sambal and making dumplings with her grandmother.
But, growing up in Sydney, she was surrounded by a sumptuous array of different cultures and cuisines that expanded her culinary horizons, including Greek family friends who introduced her to the delights of eating freshly cooked lamb on the spit.
Today, no food is off limits for the woman who has dined on tarantulas and rats.
But, at school she wanted to be like the other kids.
Melissa laughs as she recalls that her mother’s response to her pleas for a simple ham sandwich was to pack her a baguette filled with double-smoked ham and seeded mustard.
An appreciation of fine food isn’t the only thing Melissa inherited from her mother.
She says her mother also taught her the importance of good skincare and to always make sure she looks “wellpresented” when leaving the house.
“My mum’s always been hugely into skincare so I’m very grateful that from a young age I watched her take care of her skin,” she says.
“She always wore sunscreen and used good products on her face, and that’s definitely something I carry with me.
“I love to use it as a bit of ‘me time’. It’s sort of a ritual for me. When I am on set getting my hair done in the morning, I’ll take 10 minutes to do a face massage. I always make sure that I’m massaging my serum properly, applying really good eye cream and putting on sunscreen before we even get started for the day.”
Melissa’s experience as a food writer and a TV presenter has also influenced her approach to self-care.
“Well, first and foremost, you can’t do the job unless you really do feel your best,” she says of working long hours.
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RACHEL DENNIS
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Melissa wears Jason Grech skirt, Husk knit and Jeanette Maree earrings
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“It’s been pretty well documented that I pushed myself to my physical limits at times and I’ve definitely had to pay the penalty for that. It’s made me prioritise my health and my wellbeing and just feeling good.
“I really like that the whole term self-care has become something that people have a reasonable understanding of these days because it is something that we need to do for ourselves.”
Melissa certainly speaks from experience — burning the candle at both ends while travelling the country on an extensive writing assignment saw her develop a crippling autoimmune condition.
Scaling back her vigorous workout routine to one that now includes a combination of high-intensity workouts as well as yoga and pilates ,and improving her nutrition with diet and vitamin supplements saw her regain her health and energy.
The experience left her with an even deeper appreciation about what she puts in and on her body.
As part of her beauty routine, she uses two different masks from the Andalou Naturals range of skincare.
“Your skin is the largest organ in the body, and you absorb so much through it. So, if we place so much importance on eating well because it nourishes us from the inside out, the same logic should prevail for skincare as well,” Melissa, a brand ambassador for Andalou, explains.
“I’m a fan of high-performance skincare, and the more natural the better. I like that Andalou uses the power of fruit stem cells to pack a punch. I’ve loved working with brands like Andalou because they really emphasise quality and have ‘no nasties’ in their products, and their affordable price point makes them available to the wider community. I don’t believe that good things need to be exclusive. Everybody deserves access to really good skincare.”
Another secret beauty weapon she has up her sleeve is her signature red lipstick.
“I think that anyone who’s ever worn a bright red lipstick, understands the power of it,” she says. “And I think there are definitely times in life where you need that extra little bit
Melissa wears Leo & Lin dress, Jeanette Maree earrings and Edward Meller heels
Melissa wears Zenophen dress and Jeanette Maree earrings
of courage or armour and a good strong lipstick can give that.
“So, if I am feeling a bit down or even feeling just a bit flat energy wise, and I need to get on with my day, I’ll put some lipstick on even if I am just working at home. I even did it during lockdown on occasion.”
Even with her trusty lipstick at the ready, it’s fair to say 2020 was a challenging year for Melissa and her fellow MasterChef judges, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen.
Not only did they face the ultimate pressure test of replacing the original judges but they did it while the food and hospitality industry was in crisis due to COVID-19.
Jock, Andy — and many of the returning contestants — were dealing with the stress of trying to keep their businesses afloat as the country went into lockdown while filming in 2020.
Melissa says she and her co-hosts leaned on each other through last year’s challenges, strengthening their friendship in the process.
“This thing doesn’t work unless you have community and unless you have chemistry,” she says of the trio’s screen success.
“And what we’ve been through, as these new judges, and also at such a crazy time in the world, that’s really bonded us for life.”
She needn’t have worried — viewers loved the reboot and Melissa in particular, who was hailed its “breakout star”.
The food writer was also crowned Who magazine’s Sexiest Person of 2020.
Accolades aside, it is the comments Melissa gets from viewers — particularly those from the Asian community — that bring her the most pride.
Melissa, who grew up watching and admiring Elizabeth Chong’s cooking segments on Good Morning Australia, is MasterChef’s first Asian judge and first female judge. And she understands just how important it is to people watching her now because, as the saying goes, you can’t be what you can’t see.
“I don’t think I could ever have anticipated how much of an impact it’s made for a lot of people,” she says. “The feedback has been absolutely huge both here and
overseas. And it really highlights the climate in the world at the moment. “Our realisation that equality matters to so many. And that visibility is really, really important. “Every race, creed, belief and identity in the world deserves to be seen, heard and respected. And so, whatever small role I can play in that regard, I take seriously because it’s about more than just myself.”
FOR MELISSA’S GOLDEN RULES FOR SELF-CARE VISIT HOUSEOFWELLNESS.COM.AU
