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The boys have been mates ever since Artie, 42, employed Johnny, 26, to work at his award-winning butcher shop - Nambour Plaza Meats – a few years ago. Since then, Artie has inspired his young protégé to reach new culinary heights. "I really started taking a liking to cooking when I was in high school," Johnny recalls. "But my passion for it grew when I met Artie. His love for food encouraged me to take it further." Artie adds: "Food's always been a big part of my life. Being Mediterranean, i'’s who we are. Life’s about eating and enjoying food." Both men take pride in the food they prepare and the meat they sell. Artie's butchery has been singled out for a Retail Excellence of the Year Award twice and his snags last year made the state finals of the Queensland Sausage King.

Hosting everything from tapas nights to dinner parties, Kane, 28, and Lee, 25, make one formidable duo. "We probably work better as a team than as individuals," Kane says. "We're not just team-mates, we're house mates and good friends." They define their cooking style as Asianfusion with a twist. Growing up with a Chinese mother, Lee borrows heavily from her Asian heritage. "I always try to incorporate Asian ingredients into my food," she says. "Whether it's something simple like wombok, soy sauce or delicacies like black fungus – I always try and see what I can add to make it different."

For Sydney sisters Sammy and Bella, cooking is a family affair. Their grandmother Ursula was a chef in Poland who cooked for many high-profile politicians including former US president Bill Clinton. "She worked as a caterer for all the embassies so whenever there was a diplomatic event or a big political function she was part of the catering team," Sammy says. "She cooked for a lot of influential people, including Bill Clinton, which was the highlight of her career." Bella adds: "Cooking is definitely in our blood. It's been passed on from one generation to the next in our family." Not only have the sisters paired up for the competition but they used to work together in fashion; Sammy, 22, as a buyer and Bella, 27, in marketing. But in a strong indicator of their passion they both quit their jobs to take part in My Kitchen Rules.

The Adelaide couple have been running their own business for the last 12 years and use cooking as a means of escape from their work. They love it so much they even knocked down a wall in their home to create a bigger kitchen. "We love the whole experience; everything from the shopping to the preparation and the actual cooking," Reade says. Reade, 46, actually wanted to be a chef when he finished school but a mix-up cost him his dream. "I did my work experience as a chef and absolutely loved it," he explains. "The skills I have now are the skills I learnt during that time. I really wanted an apprenticeship at this restaurant but when I turned up they'd already offered it to someone else because they didn’t know I was coming."

Melanie, 37, was married for 12 years to a chef who dominated their kitchen. "I didn't cook at all during that time," she says. "He just did it all. When we split up, I had to start cooking for myself and my two children. I found that not only could I cook, but I was pretty good at it too. "When I was married I only had four dishes to my name. Now I have hundreds and I realise what fun I missed out on." James, a 36-year-old jazz musician, was a notoriously bad eater. Tomato sauce on pasta was about as extravagant as he got. "I'd never had an interest in food until I met Melanie," he says. "I was like, 'Can you deep fry that?' Being a musician, a lot of the eating I did was between one and three in the morning."

Their passion for food is infectious. "I just love to see people eat my food and enjoy it," Daniela says. "Cooking relaxes me. I could do it at 12.30 at night. Any time... I just love it." Stefania adds: "We're Italian! Of course, we love our food. I enjoy seeing people's expressions when they taste the food I've made. It makes me happy." The women are so close they're more like sisters. "We're very alike," Daniela, 43, says. "We like the same things. Stefania is fun to be with; everyone who meets her likes her." Stefania, 41, is equally as kind about her cousin adding, "Daniela's a beautiful person inside and out." The Perth duo get along so well they're worried it may pose a problem for them during the competition. "We muck around too much," Daniela says. "We find it hard to be serious."

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