As the final episode of Australian MasterChef aired on television last night marking the end of series three, Michael Weldon raised his glass and enjoyed a couple of celebratory drinks with his new friend and fellow contestant, Hayden Quinn. Despite taking second place to series winner Kate Bracks and missing out on the AU$100,000 prize money and book deal by just a few points, the 25-year-old South Australian was already looking forward to the future – and the promise of a three-month scholarship with MasterChef judge Gary Mehigan.

“There's no way I could say no,” Weldon admits when asked if he'll take Mehigan up on his offer. “I didn't want to leave Adelaide quite so quickly, but it's such a great offer – a really good kickstart into cooking,” he explains, going on to list the high-profile chefs that Mehigan has had a hand in training. “I've got this dream to open restaurants as good as some of the ones we went to in the competition.” And there’s no question a scholarship in Melbourne would be an ideal stepping stone in achieving this goal.

But, having left behind a part-time job in film projection and an incomplete degree in media to take part in MasterChef, Weldon admits cooking wasn’t always his dream. “I used to want to write about food,” he explains. “Now I want people to write about my food.”

Having been encouraged into entering Australia's foremost cooking competition on the promise of free beer from his mate, Weldon never expected to get as far as he did. However, the eight-month journey that last night culminated in the recreation of one of the world's most technically challenging dishes, was an experience Weldon revelled in. “I guess being away from home is supposed to be hard,” Weldon says. “But nothing was that difficult to make it not worth being there. There was always something better coming.”

Throughout the show, Weldon made frequent mention of his father, who passed away from cancer seven years ago. “I love talking about him,” Weldon says. “He gave me the best kickstart in life. Everything I do has to reflect the great start he gave me.” Fortunately, his father was around to see Weldon develop a passion for what will most likely become his career. “He got to taste some of my meals,” Weldon explains. “If I cooked a bad dish, he was the only one who would finish the whole plate.”

One of Weldon's most memorable moments, he reflects, was cooking for Heston Blumenthal in a Pressure Test. Not only because of the respect he has for the acclaimed chef, but because he was able to dedicate his burger, fries and creative milkshake to the memory of his father, just two days after the seventh anniversary of his passing. “It's not often in life coincidences like that come around,” Weldon says.

Last night, both Bracks and Weldon presented near-perfect dishes as they fought off against each other in a series of three challenges, culminating in Noma's snowman dessert. “It was such a beautiful dish,” Weldon says. “But it was so incredibly hard. I was already behind and I knew I had to do something special to win. [But] I lost my head!” Despite his loss, Weldon believes Bracks is a worthy winner, calling her “a most deserving woman”.

Although it's undeniable that Weldon's cooking skills improved and the array of techniques he mastered multiplied, the biggest lesson he says he learned was to put himself out there. “If you take yourself out of your comfort zone, great things will happen,” he explains. “It was the best eight months of my life.”