Inside MasterChef host and chef Jock Zonfrillo's Carlton rental home

When MasterChef host and author Jock Zonfrillo moved from Adelaide to Melbourne last year, it was always meant to be a temporary relocation. But with border closures impacting the way we once lived, he’s happily settled into an inner-city terrace with his wife Lauren Fried and their two children.

“Filming MasterChef takes up six months of the year, and with the pandemic still ongoing, it made sense to be based in Melbourne for now,” says Zonfrillo, who recently released his autobiography Last Shot – a high-voltage mix of Trainspotting meets Kitchen Confidential.

The two-storey terrace comes with high ceilings and a long, narrow corridor that leads to two spacious living areas downstairs. One room has been converted into a children’s play zone where Lego and soft toys are welcome, and the other has been turned into a Scottish-themed room filled with antique furniture the couple has collected over the years.

“While the basic styling of the home is modern,” Zonfrillo says, “it’s mostly filled with pieces we consider sentimental; ornaments I’ve purchased while travelling overseas and around Australia. We have a preference for furniture that will last for 100 years and not 10 – that’s why we have antiques we’ve reupholstered. They stand the test of time.”

But it was the open-plan kitchen that was key in signing this lease.

“We always end up in a house with a large, open and wide kitchen space because inevitably I’m in the kitchen entertaining when I’m home,” Zonfrillo says.

You’ll find all the kitchen equipment that makes him happy here – from a 10-year-old Italian Berkel meat slicer with a volcano-red flywheel “that will never leave this family”, a commercial pasta machine and a vintage-style La Marcozzo coffee machine he helped design.

Zonfrillo also installed a commercial dishwasher with a speedy one-minute wash cycle.

The rental is filled with indigenous artwork and commissioned pieces Zonfrillo holds close. Ghost of the Roast by Toni Clarke and works by Ngarrinddjeri artist Karumapuli Jacob Stengle hang proudly.

“I met Jacob while living in South Australia; his paintings are quite unusual and mean a lot to me. It’s nice to have that connection to him in my home. He paints from a deeply personal experience and captures his cultural identity,” Zonfrillo says.

A Scottish antler chair made from red deer antler and woven tapestry has also came out of storage. The treasured family heirloom is a nod to his Scottish Highland heritage and is where you’ll find Zonfrillo kicking back for a knock-off whisky at the end of the day.

It sits in the room where he made his line of worry beads, Caim – a Scottish Gaelic word that refers to “an invisible circle of protection that you draw around your body with your hand to remind you of being safe and loved even in the darkest times”.

A set of bagpipes given to him by his friend Jimmy Barnes for his birthday last year also sits in the corner, awaiting a lesson or two.

“For us, it’s not home unless we have our own personal items around us; that’s why we made sure all our favourite pieces have come to Melbourne,” Zonfrillo says. “We have a lot of art and photographs as well as books – they all help us feel like this is where we belong. It’s the small touches that make it home no matter where you are.”

A variety of colourful Tjanpi Desert Weavers baskets and sculptures sit in the living room and in the children’s bedrooms, and books on curing salami, indigenous plant knowledge and a best of A.A. Gill’s essays serve as inspiration.

Moving to an inner-city suburb made sense to Zonfrillo. It’s a short stroll from the CBD, the Carlton Gardens and a quick drive to the showgrounds, where MasterChef is filmed. “I always end up in an Italian area; it’s where I feel most home,” he smiles. “And it looks like we’ll be in Melbourne for quite a while. I have a book tour coming up in August, and we will start filming the next season of MasterChef in October, so the roots are settled for a while.”

It was through a mural he saw in Sydney that he discovered French-born Australian painter Bruno Dutot. Oucha features a tall, slender female figure with a black cat.

“Bruno used to visit his mural in the middle of the night and draw her a new dress regularly. I remember seeing the mural when I first moved to Sydney in the early 2000s, and it was incredible,” Zonfrillo says.

“One night, I stayed around waiting for him to come and paint her. I then asked him to paint me a full picture of this woman, which was multiplied out over four paintings. I also treasure these at home.”

A modern, large grey corner sofa adds a homely touch. It’s finished with large cushions and makes a perfect base for the kids, but it’s the photographs of the children that really connect Zonfrillo to a precious moment in time.

“We have a heap of photos of the kids at home,” he says. “The one we have in our bedroom has been next to our bed since the day we came home from hospital after having Alfie (now aged two), but without him. It’s the photos of him just born and on Loz’s chest, a tiny 1.2 kilograms. It reminds us of how lucky we are.”