MasterChef season three runner up Ana Schwarz talks about the trifle that was her downfall on last night's finale, and her plans to share her 'food inspiration' with New Zealand.

“I did have a lot of trifle nightmares after the show” says runner up Ana Schwarz of her defeat by the gargantuan creamy, layered dessert.

Ana’s version of the ‘tortuous trifle’ couldn’t help her claw back her deficit on the scoreboard, but she’s not holding her second-place status against the traditional treat, saying she refuses to be “fearful of trifles”.

“There was a lot of ingredients, it was little bit overwhelming, probably about 50 ingredients.� I made a great one at Christmastime actually, probably a little bit smaller, and I really enjoyed it, there’s something about trifles that are quite satisfying.� I think the macaroon tower (from season two’s finale) would have been a lot harder to be quite honest.”

“At the end of the day, Chelsea did really well and I’m really happy for her.”


Image courtesy of TVNZ

Unsurprisingly, Ana is remarkably ready and prepared for the next phase of her career as a culinary professional.� Her brand new website, which makes its debut today, will be a space to share her “food inspiration” as well as recipes, and a whole range of products designed for the kitchen.

“I’ve always been into design and it also is a creative way of sort of showing food in another way, so it’s incorporating food and design.”

Ana still hopes to publish a cookbook one day, “celebrating food from New Zealand and around the world”, which will incorporate Ana’s multi-cultural food aesthetic.

“I’m very inspired by street food especially, and then jazzing them up a little bit, but I suppose the emphasis is just good food, great produce and importance on flavour.”

“I think, that’s the thing about food, we have to eat everyday but we want to change things so food is something we dream about and becomes a passion, and therefore we share that passion.”

This season’s competitors were a close-knit bunch and Ana remains close to them all, especially her best mate in the house, Charlene McGehan.

“We’re all great friends, we had such a rollercoaster ride together and when you reach those highs and lows together you just, you learn, it’s like a family.� Yeah, we were like a family.� So that’s really neat.”

Ana is passing on her love and knowledge of food to her three children and says youngest daughter Sienna is already displaying the characteristics of a future MasterChef with a fascination for cookbooks.� Ana’s kids are also willing guinea pigs for her test kitchen creations. �

For Ana, sharing her love of good cooking and instilling an appreciation for quality ingredients is the greatest gift she can give her children.

“It’s my biggest gift, in a way we all have gifts. � If I can inspire anybody with what I love to do, what I have a passion for, then that’s why I feel a true winner.”