Cover Story
Melissa Leong on serving people the unexpected in both career and fashion
Plus, her luxury travel essentials to fuel your warm-weather escapism
8 Minute Read
If you like food, reality television, wordsmithery and bold fashion, you’ve likely grown used to watching Melissa Leong on your screens after a long day at work. Or maybe you’ve doted over her whimsical captions and content online. The food writer turned MasterChef judge is a total embodiment of a modern multidisciplinary talent. And she’s become a style muse for many Australians watching her journey.
Now, off the back of a brand-new television cameo and a debut book, Melissa is trying to master the art of unwinding. We catch up with the culinary aficionado on getting dressed, getting away, eternally evolving, and always coming back to your roots. Behind the scenes, Mel’s outfitting sensibilities and thoughts on the notion of ‘success’ may surprise you.
I love playing with people’s expectations in terms of what I should do and how I should do it
Whereabouts in the world are you right now, and what has the last week in your life entailed?
I’m in Naarm/Melbourne, where I am currently based. This past week has involved a fair amount of press activity ahead of my first book being released next week, which is very exciting. There was also a shoot involving a bucket of fried chicken and lots of running around, which was kind of fun.
Can you tell us about the last restaurant you ate at? And what you had there?
The last restaurant I ate at was Bar Louriñha. It was the joint birthday party of the restaurant’s owners, Matt McConnell and Jo Gamvros, which was really fun. It was a banquet of Bar Louriñha’s hit parade, including kingfish pancetta, heaps of oysters, Portuguese rabbit rice, and suckling pig. Mega.
Between MasterChef seasons, you’ve just released a debut book. But it’s not what everyone might expect. Why have you written a children’s book in lieu of a cook book, and what’s it about?
I love playing with people’s expectations in terms of what I should do and how I should do it. I was pushed to do a book, so here’s a book. A kid’s book. Because why the hell not? I am extremely grateful to have grown up in a household where food is seen as magical and fun and good food is prioritised. So to try and explain the various sensations of taste to kids and hopefully incite them to explore and look at food as something of an adventure, was a really fun and challenging writing exercise and I am very glad to have done it with two fabulously talented illustrators, Kit Palaskas and Eleonora Arosio.
We’d love to be walked through career trajectory from finishing school to now. Did you always anticipate a job that revolves around food and linguistics?
Oh wow. Are you sure? It’s one helluva random trajectory, that’s for sure! I spent a lot of time not knowing what I wanted to do when I grew up. Apparently I am now grown up, and I STILL don’t know what I want to do. I see life and career as a series of decisions that allow you to expand, learn and contribute, though it won’t always work out the way you want. I love food, that much is true, and it has been the greatest privilege of my life, that it has become a core part of what I do for work.
Why is the written word important to you? And what does it allow you to do?
As a kid, I always wanted to be understood, so I have spent a lifetime learning how to articulate myself on whatever platform I have been afforded. I am living proof that effective communication can help you get places.
When you’re not creating content or filming or working, where can we find you unwinding? Perhaps it’s during daily movement, or your most-treasured downtime rituals with family/your partner?
I am still learning how to unwind. I will always be a freelancer at heart, as well as the child of migrants, so there is a certain amount of guilt associated with free time. I love cooking without an agenda or a time limit, music on, wine in hand. Above most things, I adore waking up without the assistance of an alarm.
We hear you’ve also been busy shooting for Channel 10’s new travel series, Luxury Escapes, and your episode covered the Northern Territory. For those unacquainted with the show, what can they expect?
To live in Australia is a gift. To live on land that has nourished humanity for 60,000 years is to be treated with far more reverence than at least our current government gives, and that is truly a travesty we need to unwind in the next generations. The Northern Territory really has a hold on my heart, it is a vast and nuanced place, full of incredible, dramatic landscapes, inspiring people and the kind of beauty I could never justify in writing. You just have to go and feel it for yourself. I had a blast hanging out with Cam Daddo, singing 90’s bangers in the new Lexus LX, just fanging it up the highway. Hiking Kings Canyon was a new experience for me, and one I’d do again; standing on the floor of an ancient sea bed, where you are still able to see the fossilised ripples of sand, blows the mind.
I love fashion so much, and I love trying new things when I’m working with a creative team who get it
What were some of the most unexpected revelations or discoveries from your stint in the NT, in the realms of people, places and plates?
If you aren’t careful, the Northern Territory will capture your soul. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are sacred places for a reason, and the sheer force of their magnetism can be felt, palpably. This was my third visit to the red centre and every single time, I am filled with respect, emotion and appreciation for being there. I am so happy to see indigenous Australian cuisine integrated in such a meaningful way here to tourists, and if you are lucky enough to be invited on country, take the opportunity to experience things like malu wipu (kangaroo tail), traditionally buried beneath coal, covered in red earth and left to cook until tender. It is a memory that will stay with me for life.
How does one dress (and pack) for a Northern Territory sojourn this summer?
Practically. But have some fun with it! Bring walking shoes you don’t mind getting dusty, and clothing you can layer and more importantly, carry with you because there are no airs and graces out here. I tend to favour natural fabrics, but it’s always nice to bring a few resort glam looks to pair with flat sandals, too. Heels have no place out here, think effortless, multi functional and fun. Sunscreen and insect repellent is essential, as is a reusable water bottle and coffee cup. I am an avoider of single use plastic, we really need to remove our reliance on it, especially in a place like this.
When it comes to warm-weather travel essentials for a luxe escape, what would be on your Harrolds wish list?
Shop Melissa's Edit
You’re known for a distinct sartorial flair on TV and Instagram, defined by colour and bold silhouettes. Does this translate to everyday dressing off-screen?
Honestly, not really. I love having some distinction between my show self and my real self. I love fashion so much, and I love trying new things when I’m working with a creative team who get it. But what’s cleansing for me, is a little minimalism. I am obsessed with oversized suits and sandals, and I’m not sorry about it.
Where (or who) do you think your personal style came from?
Style has to be earned. I love that about it. It takes most people (definitely me) a long time to figure it out, and it often involves many years of bad outfits, to land on what suits you and what flatters you to your eye, as well. I am a fan of people with brave, strong looks that are just about their extension of personality… people can copy, but they will never quite beat the originator. My mother, naturally, has amazing personal style, and with each passing year, I feel like I am becoming her. Which is a great thing.
In what ways do you see, feel and experience intersections between food and fashion in your day-to-day life?
Food and fashion fit perfectly together. What’s on the plate is driven by creative inspiration, as are the clothes you wear. Both benefit from not being fussed with too much, and work best when gut instinct isn’t ignored.
If you could give any message to a past-self about success, what would it be?
Success is an illusion. What is far more satisfying, is landing on work that feeds you creatively, emotionally and challenges you to grow, learn and shift your perspective. No successful person wakes up saying “Hey, you know what? I feel successful.”, there is always another hill to climb, another project to embrace. Don’t believe people who tell you that you can’t, just figure out a way to do what feels right.
