IF you are having withdrawals after MasterChef finished at the end of last month, why not jump on the bandwagon and support former Dubbo resident Richard Harris, who has made it to the final 12 of MasterChef New Zealand.
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Mr Harris lived at Dubbo from 1994 to 2002, where he opened and was front of house of the Echidna Cafe on Macquarie Street, and has fond memories of his time in the city.
"Our customers were so loyal and I developed some great friendships with them," he said.
"I will never forget the long dry summers Dubbo has, one year in particular is was over 40 degrees for about six weeks.
"I loved the landscape of the area and you really get this feeling of how big Australia is.
"I had some wonderful years in Dubbo and it's a great community with wonderful people."
With MasterChef contestants being put through so many different and diverse challenges, Mr Harris said it was difficult to pinpoint what the greatest test had been so far on the show.
"The toughest challenge on MasterChef has been the unknown," he said.
"When you walk into the MasterChef kitchen you could have done all the study in the world but suddenly a new challenge arises so you have to think on your feet a lot.
"I am a very competitive person so I hope to go all the way, but if I don't I know that I gave it my best."
Mr Harris credited Stephen Neale, who he worked with at the Echidna Cafe, for getting him to the standard of being a MasterChef contestant.
"He (Stephen) taught me so many techniques and made me understand the science of cooking," Mr Harris said.
"He was a great role model in the kitchen and there are a lot of cooks in Dubbo who learnt a lot from him."
Mr Harris did not have a favourite dish or cuisine, but enjoyed Italian, French and Japanese food and flavours.
MasterChef New Zealand can be streamed from NZTV3 on demand or www.youtube.com.
