Brent Draper, the winner of MasterChef Australia’s fifteenth season on Sunday night, has revealed how he intends to spend his $250,000 prize money.
The 32-year-old former tradie returned to the competition this year after leaving from season 13 to focus on his mental health. He and his wife are expecting their second child together.
Speaking with Yahoo Lifestyle following the finale, Brent shares that he has plenty of ideas on how he will spend his winnings.
“It’s an absurd amount of money to think about what you’re gonna do,” he remarks.
“Look, the wife’s laid down a law I can only buy one fun thing with it, which will be my boat because I’m a mad fisherman. So I’ve been allowed a certain amount of money, and then the rest will obviously go to investments and a cookbook. That’s one of the things that I want to work hard on straightaway.”
Brent says he wants his future cookbook to be something that’s never been done before, describing it as “a tie between mental health and barbecue food”.
“I want to push the message that I’ve always pushed and just keep the conversation open,” he details. “If I can do it in a tasteful way, it would be such a great present to give someone who you think is struggling a little bit.
“Maybe it might have a mental health toolbox in the back, maybe stories of chefs and dishes, or just average people with stories that people can relate to and then maybe they cook a dish with me or something like that. I just want something that’s very relatable and can open up a conversation. I’ve been put in this position and I need to keep pushing the fight against the stigma around mental health.”
Rhiannon’s plans with her prize money
Although she did not win the grand prize this season, Rhiannon Anderson, 47, got $40,000 for finishing second.
She tells Yahoo Lifestyle that she’d like to use the money to pursue a career in the culinary sector, such as hosting a cooking program and producing a cookbook.
“I’d love to travel around Australia and do a cooking show and promote fresh local produce and local farms,” she says. “I love farmers markets, so I’d like to put it towards doing something along those lines.
“I definitely want to do a cookbook and dedicate it to my mum. When she passed away I found a cookbook in her house from 1971, before I was born, and it had a message from her sister saying ‘We expect to see your name in print’. So it was a dream of my mum’s and I want to do it for her.”