Popular MasterChef contender John Hughes was picked on as a school kid over his cerebral palsy — but now he wants to help other children with disabilities by teaching them how to cook.
The winemaker quickly became a fan favourite after he shocked judges in episode three by refusing to present his dish in the Maggie Beer pressure test because it did not meet his high standards.
He went on to triumph in the elimination round, with judge Matt Preston praising him for cooking "the best crocodile [dish] of the day," but just missed out on getting into the top 24 in episode seven.
Hughes, 37, told ninemsn he wants to use his newfound fame to give disabled kids what he lacked while growing up in the Adelaide suburb of Dover Gardens: someone to talk to and look up to who also had a disability.
"When I was a youngster all I wanted was a mentor, someone I could ring up after school and say: 'Hey I had a hard day at school, children were saying this to me and picking on me'," he said.
Far from being disappointed at not making it further in MasterChef, Hughes said being able to inspire kids with disabilities felt as good as winning.
Since leaving the show Hughes has been talking to cerebral palsy charities from around Australia.
"I'm looking at mentoring and maybe doing cooking classes for children with cerebral palsy."
Hughes said his success showed what people with disabilities were capable of.
"Me being on MasterChef has definitely increased the awareness of cerebral palsy … [and that people with this disability] do have the ability of performing day to day tasks."
Hughes said he was still in touch with Australian cooking personality Maggie Beer, who hugged him during the pressure test.
"Hopefully I'll get to cook for her again," he said.
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