Top chef Jock Zonfrillo’s life was full of ups and downs.
Top chef Jock Zonfrillo passed away unexpectedly at the age of 46. PDO
Chef and judge known from Masterchef Australia Jock Zonfrillo died suddenly at the age of 46. The body of the TV star was found on Monday in Melbourne. The cause of death has not been made public so far.
Zonfrillo lived a short but eventful life, reports the British newspaper The Daily Mail. Zonfrillo was working in a Sydney restaurant in 2002. He played a prank on an 18-year-old apprentice that went horribly wrong.
Zonfrillo had wiped the teenager’s lap with flammable gel, which is used to keep plates warm. The situation became dangerous when the apprentice’s pants caught fire.
When the young kokelas tried to tear off his burning pants, he got serious burns on his hands. In the end, the young man was unable to work in a restaurant for three and a half months.
– There was no malicious reason to set the boy’s parka on fire, Zonfrillo recalled what happened years later.
Jock Zonfrillo came to international attention with MasterChef Australia. Pictured from left to right: Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo. PDO
The court ordered the chef to pay the boy $75,000 in damages. Zonfrillo was declared bankrupt. The young boy later claimed that he had not been paid any compensation.
The TV face struggled with anxiety at different stages of his life. She carried a komboloi string made of beads to help her if anxiety tried to take over.
Heroin addiction, which Zonfrillo has spoken openly about, also caused problems. The addiction developed as a teenager, when the chef was only 14 years old. The man who grew up in Scotland first tried cocaine and pills until he ended up with harder substances.
– Drugs were everywhere, we were surrounded by them. A lot of kids got into trouble and I was one of them.
Jock Zonfrillo suffered from drug addiction during his life. PDO
Life turned upside down when the man got a job By Marco Pierre White from a restaurant in London. The young man had no home in London, so he secretly slept in a restaurant dressing room. When it came to light, Zonfrillo feared he would lose his job.
However, it turned out differently, because his boss helped the man find a temporary home.
– I have always said: if there was no food, I would have died. When you’re addicted, there are very few things more appealing than drugs. Fortunately, I am passionate about cooking.
The TV star got rid of his drug addiction in the early 2000s. At the same time, Zonfrillo moved to Australia, where he focused on his career.