Alana Lowes

Alana Lowes
Alana Lowes
Born	April 27, 1980 (age 46); Melbourne, Australia
Occupation(s)	Author, presenter, actress, journalist
Years active	2006–present
Known for	MasterChef Australia (third place, 2011)

Alana Jane Lowes (born 27 April 1980) is an accomplished author, presenter, and actress. In 2011, she participated in the third season of MasterChef Australia, where she secured third place, finishing behind Kate Bracks and Michael Weldon.

Early life and career

Originally from Melbourne, Lowes was raised in Mildura and now lives in Brisbane. She earned dual degrees in journalism and law from the University of Canberra. Her journalism career includes reporting roles at WIN News in Canberra (2006) and Nine News in Brisbane (2008). Additionally, she has contributed articles to Style magazine, covering topics such as food, travel, and celebrity interviews with personalities like Liam Hemsworth and Julia Zemiro.

MasterChef

Lowes progressed to the Top 50 contestants in MasterChef Australia Series 3 and subsequently advanced to the Top 24 on 5 May 2011 with her signature soft-centered chocolate pudding. Throughout the competition, she worked alongside esteemed chefs such as Heston Blumenthal, Thomas Keller, René Redzepi, David Chang, Eric Ripert, Neil Perry, Matt Moran, Maggie Beer, Curtis Stone, Marco Pierre White, Anthony Bourdain, and her culinary inspiration Nigella Lawson. Fellow contestants affectionately nicknamed her "Nige" due to her resemblance to Lawson and their mutual passion for chocolate.

She concluded the competition in third place. Judge Gary Mehigan commended her as "one of the best cooks we've ever had," emphasizing her precise technique and strong determination—qualities that indicate a bright future in the culinary field.

Recent work

Building on her extensive background in both broadcast and print journalism, Lowes has concentrated on freelance writing within lifestyle, food, and travel genres. She currently presents the food and travel program A Taste of Travel on Channel Ten Australia and contributes regularly as a food columnist for ninemsn. Lowes actively engages with her audience through her personal website and her blog a morish distraction, which showcases original recipes, travel narratives, and styling advice.

Following her MasterChef experience, she has toured across Australia conducting cooking demonstrations, hosting public classes, and appearing at Sydney’s annual MasterChef Live event. Lowes is also working on developing book and television ventures to further establish her presence in the food media sector.

Other interests

In addition to her culinary pursuits, Lowes has acted in Australian short films and feature-length productions including The Ghosts and Blood Money, along with television commercial roles. She is also a skilled Australian rules football athlete, having received the ACTWAFL Rising Star award in 2002 and Best-and-Fairest player honor in 2003. Lowes earned selection for the all-Australian team for four consecutive years and appeared in a 2011 promotional video supporting AFL Women's Week.

Charity work

Lowes serves as a national ambassador for Cancer Council Australia, advocating for awareness of women’s cancers. She is also an ambassador for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Queensland.

External links