Jock Zonfrillo was a Scottish-born chef, restaurateur, and television presenter who rose to prominence in Australia. He is most recognized for his work as a MasterChef Australia judge and for establishing the Orana Foundation. His former restaurant, Orana, was named Restaurant of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Magazine and Australia’s Restaurant of the Year by the Good Food Guide.

Jock Zonfrillo’s Biography, Wiki and Quick Facts

Jock Zonfrillo was awarded Australia’s Hottest Chef by The Australian magazine, and his nonprofit organization, The Orana Foundation, won the Basque Culinary World Prize in July of that year. He and his wife Lauren Zonfrillo had four children.

Zonfrillo’s television career began in 2014, when he debuted as a judge and chef on MasterChef Australia’s sixth season. After season eleven, he became the show’s host. He began his culinary career as a dishwasher and part-time cook at the age of 13.

His love of indigenous ingredients and culture inspired him to establish the Orana Foundation, which intended to preserve and promote the use of indigenous Australian products in cookery. He died on April 30, 2023, at the age of 46.

How much was Jock Zonfrillo’s Net Worth and Salary?

Jock Zonfrillo’s net worth was predicted to be $5 million, mostly from his job as a chef and television personality. According to rumors, he, Melissa Leong, and Andy Allen each made $500,000 each year from MasterChef Australia.

In November 2013, Zonfrillo established two restaurants in Adelaide, Restaurant Orana and Street ADL. Four years later, Gourmet Traveler Magazine named Orana the restaurant of the year.

He opened Nonna Mallozzi, a new cafe, in December 2018, but it suffered a $140,000 loss and was closed down in 2019, putting a considerable reduction in his entire net worth. Despite his financial difficulties, Jock Zonfrillo pursued his passion for cooking and shared his knowledge and skills with others through his many initiatives.

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What is the Nationality and Ethnicity of Chef Jock Zonfrillo? | Family and Siblings

Jock Zonfrillo was born on August 4, 1976 in Glasgow, Scotland, but reared in Ayr. Barry “Jock” Zonfrillo was his given name at birth. Ivan, his father, was a barber, and Sarah, his mother, was a hairdresser. His father’s family is from Scauri, Italy, and his mother’s family is from Dalmellington, Ayrshire, Scotland. Jock is of mixed ethnicity and Scottish nationality.

He had a younger sister. He was 46 years old when he was born in 2022, and his zodiac sign was Leo. Also he adhered to Christianity as his religion.

Zonfrillo received his education at Belmont Academy in Ayr.

How was the career of Jock Zonfrillo?

• At 12, Jock Zonfrillo started working as a dishwasher at his older sister’s restaurant. At 15, he left school to apprentice at The Turnberry Hotel, where he won the Young Scottish Chef of the Year award aged 16. After finishing his apprenticeship, he was fired from the Arkle Restaurant in Chester for selling drugs to support his heroin addiction.
• After working for Marco Pierre White, Quaglino’s, and Chapter One, he became a sous-chef at Restaurant 41 in Sydney, Australia. Zonfrillo worked at Gordon Ramsay’s Aubergine in London before returning to White’s Oak Room and Les Saveurs. He became Cornwall’s Tresanton Hotel’s chief chef aged 22.
• Jock became head chef at Restaurant 41 in 2000 after moving to Australia. Apprentice chef Martin Krammer sued him for burning his clothes and hand. In 2007, Krammer’s creditor’s petition bankrupted Zonfrillo. After Restaurant 41 fired him, he started consulting and importing and selling kitchen equipment. After 18 months as Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant’s head chef, Zonfrillo left.
• Jock Zonfrillo founded Orana and Street ADL in 2013, then Bistro Blackwood in 2017. Orana received Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year in 2018 and The Good Food Guide’s in 2019.
• In 2016 and 2017, Zonfrillo owned Nonna Mallozzi, a fixed food truck, and Mallozzi, a pub he liquidated in 2019 due to losses. However, Bistro Blackwood and Orana closed in late 2019, and their parent companies went into voluntary administration in October 2020 with huge unmet debts. The companies’ bankruptcy, unfair benefits, director obligations, and linked party loans are under examination.

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• Zonfrillo founded The Orana Foundation in 2016 to preserve Indigenous Australian cooking methods and ingredients. The foundation generated 1,443 Aboriginal food plant databases with the University of Adelaide. The foundation won the 2017 Good Food Guide Food for Good Award. However, Zonfrillo’s foundation management prompted a defamation complaint against The Australian, which was settled with an apology in December 2020.
• Zonfrillo hosts and judges several TV shows. Nomad Chef (2014) and Restaurant Revolution (2015) were his Discovery Channel shows. 2016 Chef Exchange co-host Qu Jianmin. He was a MasterChef Australia guest chef for three seasons before becoming a permanent judge with Melissa Leong and Andy Allen in 2019. 2020 Junior MasterChef Australia judge Zonfrillo.
• In July 2021, Zonfrillo introduced Caim, offering skull-adorned “worry beads” bracelets for $500 each.
  Simon & Schuster will publish his memoir, Last Shot, on July 28, 2021. The Sydney Morning Herald then disputed some of the book’s assertions, including Zonfrillo’s claim of visiting “hundreds of Indigenous communities” and his drug use.
• In the book, Marco Pierre White, a father figure, said “almost everything he has written about me is untrue.” Simon & Schuster defended the book as “a historical account written from personal knowledge of the subject writing it.”

Jock Zonfrillo Awards and Achievements

• The Federation of Chefs Scotland named him Young Scottish Chef of the Year in 1993.
• 2014 The Advertiser Food Awards named South Australia’s Best New Restaurant and South Australia’s Restaurant of the Year.
• The Advertiser Food Awards named 2015 South Australian Restaurant of the Year.
• 2015 Restaurant & Catering Awards Chef of the Year
• 2015 and 2016 The Hot 50 Restaurants in Australia – The Australian
• 2017’s Hottest Chef & Hottest Restaurant The Australian is a South Australian restaurant.
• The Good Food Guide received the 2017 Food for Good Award.
• Gourmet Traveller magazine named 2018 Australian Restaurant of the Year.
• The Australian’s Hottest Chef in 2018
• The Good Food Guide received the 2018 Australian Food for Good Award.
• Basque Culinary Center receives the 2018 Basque Culinary World Prize
• The Good Food Guide has named the 2019 Australian Restaurant of the Year.

Who was Jock Zonfrillo married to?

Jock Zonfrillo married Lauren Fried, whom he met on Twitter in October 2014. They married on January 1, 2017. The couple has two children: a son, Alfie Leopoldo, born prematurely in February 2018, and a daughter, Isla, born in October 2020.

Zonfrillo had two further daughters from prior marriages, Sofia and Ava. Zonfrillo and his family relocated to Melbourne in March 2020, following the closing of his eateries. Prior to his death, the family lived in Carlton and planned to relocate to Rome, Italy in 2023.

Zonfrillo died on April 30, 2023, in Melbourne, at the age of 46. Lauren Fried, his wife, and their two children survived him. At the time of Zonfrillo’s death, the couple had been married for six years.

How did Jock Zonfrillo die? | Death Cause and Date

Jock Zonfrillo died on April 30, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia, at the age of 46. When authorities were called to Zagame’s House hotel to do a welfare check, they discovered his body.

The cause of death was not immediately determined, but police do not suspect foul play and are drafting a report for the coroner. The 15th season of MasterChef Australia, which Zonfrillo had previously recorded, was scheduled to premiere on May 1, 2023, but was pushed back to May 7. Prior to the launch, a special episode of The Sunday Project was aired to reflect on Zonfrillo’s life.

Jock Zonfrillo’s Body Measurements

Jock Zonfrillo was not only a great cook, but he was also noted for his good looks. He stood about 175 cm (5 feet 9 inches) tall and weighed about 91 kg. His physique measurements gave him a desirable figure, and he conducted himself with assurance and charm.

Zonfrillo’s distinguishing characteristics included grey eyes and salt-and-pepper hair, which contributed to his distinguished and mature demeanor. He was frequently seen with a well-kept beard that matched his facial structure. Despite his outward look, his skills as a chef and contributions to the culinary world were his most notable achievements.

Trivias About Jock Zonfrillo You Need To Know.

• He was announced as one of the judges for Junior MasterChef Australia in July 2020.
• He founded Restaurant Orana and Street ADL in Adelaide in November 2013. His eatery Street ADL took over for Bistro Blackwood in September 2017.
• Gourmet Traveller magazine selected his restaurant Orana Australia’s 2018 Restaurant of the Year in August 2017.
• He returned to Australia in January 2000 to work as the head chef at Restaurant 41 in Sydney.
• His mother’s family comes from Dalmellington in Ayrshire, Scotland, and his father is from Scauri in Italy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Jock Zonfrillo.