A week on from his death, Jock Zonfrillo has been remembered as a 'caring' and 'talented' chef in a one-hour televised tribute.
Celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson and Andy Allen were among those who paid tribute to the 46-year-old in a special episode of the Sunday Project, ahead of the new season of MasterChef on Sunday night.
The chef, best-selling author and philanthropist was found dead in his hotel room in Melbourne last Monday. His cause of death is yet to be publicly announced, however, police are not treating it as suspicious.
Sitting down with The Project host Sarah Harris, Zonfrillo's MasterChef co-host Andy Allen remembered Zonfrillo as someone who's "always been there" for him, and recalled having lunch with him a day before his death.
"We went to lunch, we ordered the whole menu, it was a good catch up about what we’d been doing, what we were excited about," he shared, adding they "talked each other's ear off for three hours".
"He was in such good spirits, he was so excited about the show launching."
Allen said he felt guilty he had the chance to spend time with Zonfrillo before his death, rather than his family, who had just relocated to Rome.
"Part of me just feels guilty that it wasn’t them," he said, his voice breaking.
"I just wish it was them having lunch with Jock. I’d give anything to swap positions... It was so nice to see him one last time."
The 35-year-old passed on a message from Zonfrillo’s family, for whom he'd cooked dinner the night before the interview.
"They just wanted me to say they can feel the support for Jock and themselves," he said. "They’re hurting but it does help. They have been overwhelmed with how much support there has been for him and the whole family. They didn’t know. It has been unreal to see how much support there has been."
Allen also spoke about Zonfrillo's children, including his five-year-old son Alfie, two-year-old daughter Isla, whom he shares with his wife Lauren Fried, and his two adult daughters Ava and Sophia, from two previous marriages.
When asked about how Fried was coping, Allen said, "She's the strongest woman I've ever met but she's lost her best friend."
"Jock's got three daughters and it's things like never being able to walk them down the aisle, which means so much to Jock and so much to Lauren – they're the things that are hurting her the most," he said.
Speaking about the new season of MasterChef, Allen said he plans to watch the show but recognised it will be "hard".
"I've told myself that I will watch it, he'd want that... And it's going to be hard to, don't get me wrong, but it's not about me, it's about him. This is him doing, right now, what he's best at."
During the tribute, Gordon Ramsay, who worked with Zonfrillo in the UK in the '90s, broke down in tears as he recalled how "painful" grieving his death has been.
"Jock behind the scenes was just a lad; a lad that refused to get old and toe the line... He just wanted to have fun," he said.
"The ripples have been devastating, no one is going to get over this quickly. If there is one thing we’ve done as chefs is we’ve united and have been talking about the good times," he added, tearing up.
"It’s just so painful."
Jamie Oliver recalled meeting Zonfrillo as a 22-year-old head chef, when he took his now-wife, Juliette Norton, to a restaurant in Britain.
"It was me and Jules’ first date weekend and we went there, and there he was, young Jock, 22 years old, head chef with a beautiful menu and beautiful food," he said.
"I remember it because it was the first time I remember being spoiled by another chef."
Marco Pierre White also recalled working with Zonfrillo who he described as "gifted" and "intelligent", after employing him at The Restaurant in Hyde Park Hotel, London, when he was just 17.
"When I first met Jock, his enthusiasm was greater than his knowledge, but I could relate to his insecurities," he said.
White added that Zonfrillo will live on "through everyone he touched".
"He lives within us – and everybody who watches that show, a little piece of him will be instilled in them."
Others, including chef and restaurateur Matt Moran, remembered Zonfrillo as "one of the most talented chefs" he has ever come across, while Curtis Stone said he was "a very honest, genuine man" who cared greatly for "his craft and the people around him".
Both chefs, along with Maggie Beer, also recognised Zonfrillo for his contribution to the Australian food scene and for embracing Indigenous culture and cooking.
The tribute was closed out by Zonfrillo's close friend and singer Jimmy Barnes, who performed the Scottish song, 'The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond.'
The new season of MasterChef will continue on Tuesday night at 7.30pm on Channel 10.
Feature Image: Channel 10/The Project; Getty.
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