Gordon Ramsay has been brought to tears as he spoke about Masterchef judge Jock Zonfrillo, who he had worked with back in the 90s in London, who died suddenly just ahead of his new series being shown. MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo died aged 46, last Sunday.
The Glasgow-born chef had presented MasterChef since 2019 and the new series was due to air on Australian television on Monday night with guest Jamie Oliver.
In a joint statement issued by Network 10 and the programme’s producers Endemol Shine Australia, it was said: “Jock was known to Australians as a chef, best-selling author, philanthropist and MasterChef judge but he will be best remembered as a loving father, husband, brother and son.
“Determined and talented and with plenty of grit, Jock was born in Glasgow to an Italian father and a Scottish mother, which meant his formative years were heavily influenced by two strong cultures and it was his obsession with food and desire for a new pushbike that at just 12 years old fuelled Jock to knock on kitchen doors looking for a job.
“Jock’s love and passion for food saw him become one of the youngest culinary students to do an apprenticeship at The Turnberry Hotel at just 15 years of age. From that point onwards there was no holding him back and by 17 he was working alongside Marco Pierre White at his eponymous Restaurant Macro Pierre White.”
Gordon Ramsay today told a special episode of The Project on Australian TV station Channel 10: “It’s just a shock, a massive shock. He was never done as a chef, he still had years to go.”
Ramsay said spending time with him on Masterchef was “electrifying”.
“Being in the environment together sort of took us back 20 years, there is something quite amazing about two Scots coming together in Australia, it makes you happy at the end of the day,” he added.
“There was always something quite encouraging about the shit we’d gone through to get to where we’d been.”
Marco Pierre White said: “Jock came to me when he was 17 years old, his enthusiasm was greater than his knowledge, but it was that enthusiasm which drove him, maybe fuelled by his fears of failure, by his insecurities, which I could relate to.
“Very few chefs have an inquisitive mind, an intellectual mind and a creative mind.
“Originality is only original if you’re the first and Jock was the first at what he did, and people have followed him.
“That’s what makes him special, that’s what makes him rare.”
Nigella Lawson said her heart breaks for the late Jock Zonfrillo’s family.
“My heart breaks as I am sure everyone’s does for Jock’s children and his family and everyone who loved him,” Lawson said.
“There’s an old fashioned phrase here but may his memory be a blessing.”
Jamie Oliver has said he remembers meeting Jock for the first time when he was 22-years-old when he took his then girlfriend and now wife Jules to his restaurant.
“It was me and Jules’ first date weekend and we went there, and there he was, young Jock, 22-years-old, head chef with a beautiful menu and beautiful food,” he said.
“I remember it because it was the first time I remember being spoiled by another chef.”
“We’ve lost a very, very bright star,” Oliver added.
