Elena Duggan
Elena Duggan | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1983 Cooroy, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Chef, television presenter, former teacher |
| Known for | Winner of MasterChef Australia (2016) |
Elena Jo Duggan (born 1 June 1983) is an Australian chef who claimed victory in the 2016 season of MasterChef Australia.
Early life
Originating from Cooroy, Queensland, Duggan completed her secondary education at Noosa District State High School. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of New South Wales and pursued postgraduate studies in education at the University of Sydney. Prior to embarking on her culinary journey, she worked as a Visual Arts teacher and was the head of creative and performing arts at Galston High School in Sydney.
MasterChef Australia
Following an unsuccessful attempt to join in 2015, Duggan secured a place on MasterChef Australia in 2016 with her audition featuring fish and chips. She emerged as the winner on 26 July 2016, narrowly surpassing Matt Sinclair by a score of 86 to 84 points, thanks to an outstanding dessert. In 2019, she appeared as a guest mentor during the Queensland Week team challenge in season 11 at Noosa Surf Club, where she revealed her pregnancy; Matt Sinclair also returned as a mentor.
My Market Kitchen
Duggan took on hosting duties for the national television program My Market Kitchen in 2019, which was filmed at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market. She succeeded Emma Dean (chef), who won series five of MasterChef Australia. Her co-presenter was Khanh Ong, a finalist from the show's tenth season, who replaced Lynton Tapp, the runner-up from series five. The hosting role was passed on to Ben O'Donoghue in 2020.