SA hospitality royalty wins MasterChef crown
The co-owner of a popular Leigh Street restaurant has taken home first place of MasterChef Australia: Back To Win 2025 in last night’s grand final.
Laura Sharrad, a co-owner of Fugazzi and Nido, was last night crowned the winner of MasterChef Australia: Back To Win 2025.
This is Laura’s third MasterChef Australia appearance after taking home second prize in season six in 2014, when she was only 18 years old, and season 12 in 2020.
Laura says in this season she felt as if she “went back as a completely different person from the seasons before”.
“Being part of MasterChef Australia has been life-changing. It’s such a full circle moment to set myself a goal at such a young age and then finally achieve it after not giving up – it’s an incredible feeling.
“And to win, having my parents, my husband Max, and my daughter Florence there, was a very special moment.”
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For Laura, MasterChef has “provided so many amazing opportunities” and it is “an incredible launchpad”.
“I would say that I owe most of my career to MasterChef and that’s because of the doors that it’s opened,” she tells CityMag.
“After my first season, it opened the doors to start working in the hospitality industry and a bit of media work which then led to going back onto the show [in season 12 and now season 17] and opening restaurants.”
Laura, alongside co-owners, opened restaurant Fugazzi in the former Rigoni’s space after competing on season 12 of MasterChef Australia.
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“My experience on MasterChef this year made me realise that I wanted to own another business – I want to venture out and do even more,” she told CityMag at the time.
“I like the direction of this new project, because Nido [which opened in April 2019] is all about what Max [husband] and I grew up eating, and I like to think this new one will be a bit more of a flex, somewhere you can dress up and make an occasion of it.”
But the local talent didn’t end with Laura’s crown. Callum Hann, co-owner of Olive, Roma and Sprout Cooking School, came in at second place.
“It’s definitely a true testament of the standard of food that is coming out of South Australia,” Laura says.
“We’re very lucky to be surrounded by such incredible produce and wine regions, which go hand-in-hand and contribute to an amazing food industry.
“I feel like SA is becoming a food capital – if not ‘the’ food capital – with great food events that attract international chefs. Having an all South-Australian grand finale this season of MasterChef Australia was very cool.”
As for what’s next, Laura hints at a forthcoming book.
“Life is getting very busy so there’s lots of fun jobs and opportunities that are coming up,” Laura says.
“I also want to focus my time on writing a book and finding the right publisher to help me share my message and my love of food and handing down recipes to future generations. That’s probably like my biggest project for the moment.”
