Masterchef Australia contestant Aldo Ortado put this managerial skills to good use last night’s team service challenge where he was the captain of the winning Red Team.
Aldo, from Sans Souci, is a restaurant manager by trade and worked at Giro Osteria in Cronulla before lining up for this year’s show.
Disaster struck his Red team early in the challenge when WA contestant Brendan Pang was rushed to hospital with a deep cut to his hand.
Brendan needed 13 stitches in what has been described as the worst accident in the show’s 10 seasons and took no further part in the challenge.
Aldo was able to rally his shocked team behind the catchcry ‘‘let’s win it for Brendan’’ despite admitting to the Leader earlier this month that he has doubted himself in the past because of his language skills.
“I have doubted myself because English is not my first language, so there is a barrier being an Italian on an Australian cooking show, but I believe in myself,’’ Aldo said.
He was certainly confident and competent in what was dubbed as a battle of the brunches.
The two teams took over two cafes and took real orders from real customers in two of Melbourne’s most popular cafes on the banks of the Yarra River in Abbotsford.
Aldo was able to focus his Red team on the challenge after the shock departure of Brendan and barked out the orders from the pass as the dockets flew into the kitchen and they were able to put up the best dishes on the day.
There had been some conjecture over the elegibility of Aldo to be on the show because of his restaurant experience.
The program's rules stipulate that contestants shouldn't have a “main source of income from preparing and cooking fresh food in a professional environment” and should be amateurs.
However, Aldo's role as a restaurant manager does not appear to go against the rule.
A Network Ten spokesperson said: ‘‘Aldo Ortado is a restaurant manager in Sydney, and has always remained front of house. He has no professional kitchen experience, and is an amateur home cook.’’
