MasterChef NZ's FINAL SERVING

Get to know the last batch of cooking contestants set to face off in the Queenstown kitchen

ANNIE 24, ASHBURTON

Product development technologist Annie McDonald says her food science degree will be her strength. "The knowledge I've gained about food right down to a molecular level definitely influences how I cook and what I cook with," the Al Brown fan says, adding her signature dish is a twist on Egyptian koshari, "a street food consisting of spicy rice, a mungbean base and lots of delicious condiments". Alice's dream is "to create the next New Zealand pantry staple, like tomato sauce or Weet-Bix".

RIK 46, DUNEDIN

Otago plumber Rik Moss enjoys cooking with game meats and sustainable produce, and his signature dish is venison served with wild thyme, porcini mushrooms, honey-glazed carrots, and a cauli and blue cheese purée. His biggest weakness? "I'm not a big desserts or sweets person. I don't cook them." Rik's dream is to own some land, where he can grow veges, raise livestock and operate a "farm-tofork restaurant where people can see how the produce is grown".

JOSE 34, AUCKLAND

Haemodialysis nurse Jose Antonio Villamil reckons MasterChef is "the dream platform to show my love and passion for food". The Nadia Lim fan thinks his knowledge of pastries and Asian desserts will set him apart, although he struggles to cook with fish and veges. "They're very delicate ingredients - easy to make, but easy to break!" Jose's goal is to open a dessert shop "that will be passed on for generations just like my love for food started from my family in the Philippines".

ALI 51, HAMILTON