From farm fresh produce to frozen dinners? MasterChef 2014 champion Brent Owens is steering well clear of the high end restaurant world to pursue a business in ready meals.
"So many people have dietary requirements, whether they want to lose weight or be body builders, gluten-free, dairy-free, I want to cater for everyone. I think there's a huge gap in the market for that," said the former bobcat driver from Melton.
Will viewers be surprised that Owens, perhaps best known for his fine dining plating techniques, has switched paths?
"This is who I am at the moment, this is just the start for me," said the Victorian winner, who had to quit as front man at his girlfriend's father's excavation company to pursue MasterChef.
Owens said he'd always known his heart was in food and would spend hours after work finessing recipes. "Exotic" lunchbox choices, the result of these all-night cooking experiments, often scored some sideways looks from colleagues.
"In that environment, most people are eating rolls or pies, so sometimes with my lunches they wouldn't even know what it was. I think they'd be surprised with what I've produced now," he said.
The 24-year-old, whose girlfriend Madison Ancrum urged him to apply for the show, is thrilled with the victory but said he would've been really pleased to have lost to runners-up Laura Cassai and Emelia Jackson.
"It's so strange when you grow up playing sport and being competitive to actually find that by the end, the rivalry was gone, it was just such a joy," he said.
Owens also hopes to help keep young people out of trouble and has signed on with the Reach Foundation.
"Whether it's with food or not, I think it's important to keep young people on the right track. I was easily steered down the wrong path, and if I can help others from doing the same, I'll do it."
The MasterChef finale, in which 1.7 million viewers tuned in to watch Brent Owens crowned the winner of the reality show, was well up on last year's competition when 1.057 million people watched Emma Dean win the series.
But the series remains much less popular than it was in 2009, when Julie Goodwin's victory drew an audience of 3.9 million.
