Alana Lowes left MasterChef at what could be considered the worst time. Having given up so much, she fell at the final hurdle – one elimination away from the competition's finale this weekend. But Lowes, who left the kitchen last night thanks to the ‘Patissier of Pain’ – Adriano Zumbo – and his deceptively complicated fairytale gingerbread house, is nothing if not gracious in defeat, looking back on her time in the house with a positive attitude.
“So close and yet so far!” Lowes laughs, when asked how she felt about not making the finale. “I was really disappointed, at first,” she admits, “but then there was a real excitement about getting home. Getting back to doing normal things and just getting on with life.”
Flying somewhat under the radar for the first part of the series, 31-year-old Lowes emerged as a strong contender as she navigated her team to victory in Marco Pierre White’s kitchen. She also came from behind in New York to take top honours in the team challenge along with Ellie Paxton-Hall. But, for the most part, it wasn't all about winning for Lowes. “It was about the whole experience, all the way through the competition,” she says. “But then you get down to the final few, and there is suddenly a huge opportunity to win that I never thought I'd have back in the top 50.”
Despite her growing desire to win, however, Lowes echoes the sentiment of other contestants, who felt relieved when they finally left the competition. “The minute I started walking out of the kitchen it was like, ‘I can't believe it,’” she says. “There was a huge sadness, but also pure excitement.”
Having left behind her husband, Rob, in Brisbane, Lowes found the support of her friends and family imperative to her success. “It was really tough,” she says when asked how she dealt with being away from her husband. “He was such a support,” she says of Rob. “We got to write letters to each other, and they’re letters I'll be able to cherish for the rest of my life.” Indeed, receiving ‘support packages’ from friends and family reassured Lowes that everyone back home was behind her. “That's what really kept me going,” she adds.
Her fellow contestants, too, were a fantastic resource for Lowes, who enjoyed being around so many like-minded foodies, despite having to compete against them each week. “Once we were in the kitchen, we were competitors,” she says. “It was like, ‘what goes on in the kitchen, stays in the kitchen,’” she adds. Once back home, however, the contestants were more of a family. “We were like a huge extended group of siblings – brothers and sisters of all ages. It was quite bizarre, but an experience I'll never have again.”
Like Alvin Quah, who was eliminated thanks to Zumbo’s V8 cake in series one, Lowes’ chances of winning MasterChef were ruined by the competition’s most feared patissier. Having unleashed the croquembouche in series one, last night it was Zumbo’s Hansel and Gretel gingerbread house that became Lowes’ own nemesis.
“It was so hard!” she exclaims. “Extremely hard, but I enjoyed every moment of it. I made lollies I'd never made before. At least now I know what I'm giving everyone for Christmas!”
Of the two left in the competition, like Dani Venn, Lowes' fingers are crossed for Kate Bracks, who will fight it out against Michael Weldon in Sunday's grand finale. "I really think she has the potential to be the next Maggie Beer," Lowes explains. "She has a beautiful home in Orange, and a real connection to the area. She's passionate about the local produce."
Looking to her own future, and Lowes is characteristically enthusiastic. Like Billy Law, Dani Venn and Mat Beyer, Lowes’ first step has been to launch her blog – alanalowes.com.au – featuring not only recipes and stories from her time in the competition, but also examples of her former work as a journalist. There’s a cookbook in the offing, and Lowes hopes one day to emulate the cooking shows she grew up with, but mainly, she just wants to put people in touch with “the fun things in life, keep people inspired. I want to tell stories through food.”
