Frugal MasterChef ALICE'S RECIPE FOR CHANGE

She's dishing up tasty, cheap meals with a side serve of grilling politicians!

- Rebekah Hebenton

Alice Taylor never planned to become a chef. With a Masters in politics and her eyes on a career in academia, she imagined a future filled with policy debates and university lectures.

That all changed when she came third on MasterChef New Zealand. What began as a side interest in food quickly became something more – a way to connect with people, address real issues like food insecurity and inspire change from the kitchen up.

“When I became a chef, a lot of people were confused,” the 25-year-old laughs. “I always thought about doing a PhD thesis on the politics of food. So when I started posting the cheap recipes, I realised this is how I can combine the two things.”

Though she knows how to create picture-perfect dishes after working in fine-dining establishments like Amisfield and Baduzzi, Alice admits she started posting recipes on her Instagram account, partly in response to the unrealistic food she saw online.

“All you see on Instagram are perfect dishes cooked by perfect people in their perfect kitchens. I had this epiphany that I'd love to see some real food, so why don’t I post it?”