Original subtitles

food's been my entire life.

I remember going home and saying to Mum and Dad, I'm going to be a chef.

I said, Like, forget about school. I want to leave tomorrow and they're like year 12.

Like forget it. You're not leaving school tomorrow.

The most important thing for me is giving back to people in a kitchen.

Um,

shit.

Get emotional.

I'm choking up just thinking about you.

I couldn't wait to be a dad because I couldn't wait to be an honour.

And so whenever I came along, I just you know, I I wept uncontrollably.

Family and my family life is

so

important to me. I've arrived at this this moment in my life where

I feel like I've won a gold medal.

Welcome to this special edition of the project Coming to

You from the traditional lands of the Cooler Nation.

Tonight, a tribute to Jock's on Frillo.

We'll hear from those closest to jock as well as some of the most

celebrated chefs from across the globe as

we dig deep into Jock's extraordinary legacy.

And while we reflect on how deeply the sorrow of his loss is felt,

we also celebrate the love that he brought to the world,

and we start with his life in his own words.

The first thing I remember about growing up in

Scotland is the smell of my Scottish grandparents house,

mothballs, meat and mashed potato.

Contrast that to the Italian side of my family. The concepts are fused in my mind.

Parmesan pepper

Love.

Despite my mother's best efforts to

ete it out of me, I had a very broad Scottish accent,

so they started taking the piss and calling me Jock.

I walked into my apprenticeship as Barry on,

and I would walk out as jock, armed with the best cooking education in Scotland

and some of the worst possible habits a lad could acquire. Along the way,

I

asked for the

and I

got

in. I got the

I decided I'd turn up

a white restaurant in Hyde Park in London

twice.

Can I help you?

Which tripped me up further because you're not

used to hearing that refined English accent from

a guy who looks like he could break you in half of his bare hands.

What do you want?

I was standing there sort of stammering and tripping over my words.

I Um, that's, um, after a job. Jock came to me when he was 17 years old.

His enthusiasm

was greater than his knowledge,

but it was that enthusiasm,

which drove him,

may be fueled by his fears of failure by his insecurities,

which I could relate to.

He was an incredible mentor.

His kitchen was the first time in my career

that I wasn't discriminated against for my accent,

my age or my rough edges.

We shared this bond because Marco's kitchens were tough,

but they were also tight knit.

And once you worked in

Marco's kitchen, you sort of were a brother in many ways.

To the other chefs, very few chefs

have

an inquisitive mind,

an intellectual mind

and a creative mind.

They come from kitchens that were brutal.

There's no other way to describe it, and

a lot of us would finish work and just want to forget it.

Get it off our heads as much as possible, and

that's how that kind of behaviour starts.

Heroin ends up being a drug that you take because

you're in a pain if you're done.

I did my last shot of heroin on New Year's Eve in the toilets at Heathrow Airport.

Like I done 1000 times before,

I would never take drugs again.

When the plane landed in Sydney.

I'd be free of all that

with hindsight,

my workaholism in those years was just

another symptom of a deeper psychological problem.

What I told myself was healthy and honourable.

Working hard to put food on the table was just another form of compulsive behaviour

which in the end was just another drug

and just as detrimental to forming healthy relationships.

Now I was twice divorced with a child from each marriage.

This is it. This is this was new new way of life. This is the way the

privilege to live in.

I was incensed by Australia's lack of acknowledgement of its

first nations people in general and of their cuisine.

The restaurant I envisaged would be called a

named for the word welcome in several indigenous languages.

Like a son to me,

he was one of the best beautiful friend I ever had, and known

those nights for the first time in a long, long period that I fell at peace.

I'll always be grateful to Brun Oan and his

family for allowing me to share that time with them

as imperfect and unsuitable a person as I am to speak about many things.

First nation.

I knew food,

and Bruno recognised that my intentions were good.

And beyond that,

I think he saw that I had some healing to do that he could help with

you.

And

I'm gonna

miss

you.

Have a safe journey where you're going now.

Deep down, I truly believe that he will stay with me forever.

Originality is only original if you're the first.

And Jock was the first at what he did,

and people have followed him,

and that's what makes him special. That's what makes him rare.

He took lots of risks.

That was his nature to take risks.

And maybe in every aspect of his life,

When she walked through the door, she smiled.

And I just knew

we were gonna be a thing, and it was gonna be wonderful. It was as simple as that.

So he flew back to Adelaide and then called me from the airport and said,

You know when, uh, when am I gonna see you again? I don't want to not be with you.

And I said, Well, I could probably fly down tonight.

And so then we flew to Adelaide, and then we were just inseparable.

Now and then I'd go out and introduce a dish to a diner still holding Alfie,

and you'd see them do a very alarmed double take that.

I'd walked out of the kitchen holding a plate of

Goana in one hand and a baby in the other.

One word to describe each other.

Sensational,

gorgeous.

Then, in October 2019,

I got one of those dramatically life changing phone calls.

It was from the team behind MasterChef Australia,

and they wanted us to chat about maybe having me on as a judge.

No pressure. Hey, as we went on filming, I learned to manage my anxiety Morning

coffee.

I'd come in early on set and make everyone coffees because at the end of the day,

feeding people and showing hospitality is what I love

and one of the few things that relaxes me.

Whenever I was in danger of spinning off the planet entirely,

food brought me back down.

It was the anchor to my life, but it didn't give me happiness or peace or solace.

Only one thing has ever done that for me,

and that's my family.

For most of my life,

I thought I could only bring perfection into the world through food.

But I was barking up the wrong tree.

The only perfect thing I've ever created is my Children

give something back and tried to leave the world in

a better place than when you came into it.

If there's one thing I've learned in life is that

in

the darkness

and the red moon rises as

he wants to,

you know?

Yeah,

I don't know what is

heart of strength.

Up next, friends and fans react to the shock loss of a man who had so much more to give.

He had so much energy and the saddest thing for me.

He had a big life, but he had an even bigger life to still have.

I never met a Scottish Italian before you. We hit it off in so many bloody ways.

He was such a big personality and such a big light. And

he brought so much joy to so many people. You're watching the project.

Welcome back to this special edition of the project.

Since his rise to national fame on MasterChef jocks on,

Frillo became a man Australians welcomed into their homes. Every night

we felt we knew him.

He was a mate.

And for his fans and friends alike, the outpouring of grief over his loss

is overwhelming.

My heart breaks. As you know, I'm sure everyone does. For Jock's Children

and his family and everyone who loved him. And of course,

there's an old fashioned phrase here. But may his memory be a blessing.

He lived for his passion,

for food, for his kids.

He was a legend.

He was,

He always will be.

What a great provider and a great chef he was. He was truly, you know, world class.

He had so much energy and the saddest thing for me.

He had a big life, but he had an even bigger life to still have.

He brought so much joy to so many people, and I think that's what's hard.

But I also know that if he could see me tearing up, he'd go stop it.

Friends, remember a mate lost

too soon.

I've never met a Scottish Italian before you. We hit it off in so many bloody ways.

In fact, you know, one of my fondest memories is

having a a the odd whiskey and singing Scottish songs with you.

It's like everyone had a crush on him. Males, females, animals, everyone.

Two words to say about what our friendship means to me,

which is

resilience and passion,

with tributes to Jock's sense of humour,

his generosity

and he was human to me.

I would message him at all times of the night with stupid questions about my

or Pepe like I couldn't

get a cheese to any way,

and he always wrote me back and offered

to to have me round to his house and and show me how to cook things properly.

A man with a cheeky smile, a glint in his eyes and a desire to share

his truth, his story with everybody in the hope it might inspire others and

inspire others that did.

When my daughter was born,

he called me up out of the blue from the other side of the world.

I don't even know how he knew.

It's just the kind of guy he was,

was the kind of person that

even if you didn't speak for months or even a year,

he was always there, and you know that you could count on him.

Jock celebrated for his purpose away from the camera as

much as for his achievements in front of it.

The guy that's overcome so much to achieve so much.

And he exuded that authenticity of someone who

really was grateful for where he was at.

He was a person who was really good at connecting people and ideas.

He had that really remarkable gift for

making one plus one equal three

super

super

a mate and a mentor whose legacy lives on.

I think he'd want to be remembered with a whiskey.

He'd want people to say he loved a whiskey.

He loved a laugh, and he loved his family more than anything,

and I think that's how he'd want to be remembered.

The only regret I have is the last time I saw

him. I interrupted his dinner

with Lauren and he didn't tell me to

go away.

But had I known you'd have so few dinners left with the love of your life,

I never would come over.

I love mate. I miss you.

Coming up from the streets of Glasgow

to International Fames, one of Australia's most celebrated chefs,

the moments and memories

of Jock's extraordinary life through the eyes of those by his side. Jock was

so generous Such a warm heart. Take the piss out of you as soon as see you.

But he'd be just as happy if you took the piss out of him.

John behind the scenes was just, you know, a lad. A lad that refused to get old.

A lad that refused to tow the line. And he wanted fun. He wanted to

let some steam off. Love you, brother. Thank you for everything.

You're watching A special edition of the project.

Welcome back to this special edition of the project.

Well, for MasterChef fans,

Jock on Frillo was always so much more than a celebrity chef.

His humour and passion were infectious.

And for those lucky enough to spend time with him, his remarkable spirit,

enthusiasm and kindness

did more than just make an impression.

It changed lives.

Jock was so generous, had such a warm heart, you know, just a very caring person.

He would

give his time, um, to to anyone,

he was the consulate professional who was always in

the pursuit of his own form of excellence.

Jock behind the scenes was just, you know, a lad. A lad that refused to get old.

A lad that refused to tow the line. And he wanted fun. He wanted to

let some steam off. He wanted life to be exciting.

Jock was very good at being sort of stern, strict, funny and kind

and vulnerable.

It's an incredible cocktail.

He'd take the piss out of you as soon as see you,

but he'd be just as happy if you took the piss out of him.

You could see that he was very gifted.

You could see that he was intelligent. He was filled with empathy

with compassion.

He has

qualities which very few chefs possess. Incredible chef.

He was utterly fastidious about detail and ingredients. Jock

Doll had the passion and the drive for cooking, and he was always wanting to learn.

This wasn't someone that learned his craft from reading books.

I mean, he did that, but he got out there.

He went to far way places to meet suppliers, producers and artisan 24 7.

It's just full on food.

What he did for the industry was extraordinary, especially in Australia,

where he took inspiration from the indigenous people

and their methods of cooking and their ingredients,

and created something which was so

fabulous that the Good Food guide in Australia gave him three hats,

which is no small achievement.

And his coffee's really good.

Yeah. Look, Jock loves coffee.

He made me a coffee every morning on set, and it was the best coffee.

Don't worry about restaurants. He should have had a coffee bar. Really?

That's why he he made me some of the best coffees I've ever had.

One of the first things he'd do when he'd see you is he'd just go to his machine.

He had a very expensive coffee machine in his dressing room

and he'd make coffee for pretty much everyone on set.

He really wanted for simple things, you know,

and sitting down and having a coffee with someone was one of them.

And the first time I met Jock,

he was 22 years old,

possibly one of the youngest head chefs of the most incredible little

small restaurant and little boutique hotel down the end of Britain called Re

Santon. I'd never been away anywhere posh, uh, at all.

And it was me and George's first date weekend and we went there

and there he was.

Young jock, 22 years old, Head chef, beautiful menu, beautiful food. I remember it

cos it was the first time I can remember being spoiled

by another chef.

He was bringing in like Tunisian flavours Vietnamese,

Asian flavours to the end of England.

You know, they're like, What's going on here? I don't know. There's a new boy in town.

He's using all these funny long words

like like the menu was ace.

It was Ace,

you know, one of my fondest memories was sitting on the

on the sidewalk eating one of his dishes.

It was the most anxious dish of kangaroo tail that I have ever had in my life.

And I thought I could really cook kangaroo.

And he just loved the fact I was eating it with my fingers and he shared the recipe.

That he said was such a simple recipe.

My gosh, it was incredibly complex.

But to him it was simple.

Spending that time on the floor with Jock in Master chef, you know,

was electrifying.

There was always something quite encouraging about the shit

we've gone through to get where we've been.

Plus

There's an incredible stage

that you're on with. MasterChef, Australia.

It's the most watched MasterChef anywhere on the planet.

So it's it's a privilege and being present in that room.

Welcoming jock to the platform was just one of those experiences I'll never forget.

Jock son

Frillo er, jock

that we go back a long way, right?

Yes, we worked together back in the nineties in London,

and so I can't be proud of you now to be here. It's very clear as a judge, being in that

environment together sort of took us back 20 years.

There's something quite amazing about two Scots coming together in Australia.

It makes you happy. At the end of the day, you feel you feel good.

Jock had that inner courage

and that ability

to be brutally honest

in the gentlest of ways. Watching his delight

and watching him grow in stature, he put a spell on these home cooks.

He lit up that kitchen that looks sensational.

Oh,

we've lost a very, very bright star. It's gonna leave a huge void because it's just

a shock, A massive shock. You'll be greatly missed. Rest your mind, man.

I

think that jock's legacy will be his consistency and being personable.

Uh, his legacy.

That's a tough one.

He he was never done as a chef. He's still got years to go. So his example is his legacy.

His story, his autobiography, that is his legacy.

His death will leave an incredible halt.

He was just a great chef and and a and a great human. God bless jock, wherever you are.

Love you, brother. Thank you for everything. A rest in peace, mate. Jock

Solo was a star in the true sense, and that's why he has my vote

and being one of the great cooks of the 21st century,

he was special.

He was Ram.

Jock was one of those men who could walk into a room and make people stop and stare.

He had this charisma about him. Even

when he popped into the studio to talk

about MasterChef or or perhaps his autobiography,

he would

he would talk to all of the crew on the set.

He would talk to everyone in In fact,

we'd have to kind of pull him across to say It's It's your time now,

Um, but also more than that he was. He leaned into that vulnerability.

And, um

and that

was

an honesty, authenticity, all of that.

I thought it was such telling words from Marco P. White in that package,

like Rare is like

That's the word, because it's the combination.

When he when he talks there about he had

characteristics that you didn't find in chefs very often,

that's not about the talent, although that was undeniably there.

That's about the man. It's about the the the character.

And it's I think that's what everyone's learning is.

It's the combination that is just extraordinary.

Alright. More of tonight's tribute to, uh, jocks and Phil.

After the break, we'll see you then

up next beyond a mentor beyond a mate,

we sit down with Jock's MasterChef brother in arms, Andy Allen.

He can wait for Alex and I have kids as well.

Um,

yeah, you couldn't wait for that.

He always said that I was gonna be a great dad,

and I I just wish that

he was around to see that this is a special edition of the project. A tribute to John

without you, my friend.

Welcome back to a special edition of the project from

the moment they signed on as MasterChef judges Jock Solo

and Andy Allen were thick as thieves, More than just colleagues.

They were confidant collaborators and, above all, great friends.

I sat down with Andy for a candid and emotional conversation about Jock's life,

his death and what Andy will miss most about his mate.

Hi, Mike.

It's all right.

You got this? Ok,

ok,

yeah.

Take it slow. I'm gonna take it slow, OK?

In a minute.

No, I don't think I mean, it's gonna help.

Oh, fire out. You're OK.

Ok, ready to go?

It was here in the MasterChef kitchen where

Andy Allen would be crowned the Season four winner

and go on to spend countless hours as a mentor and judge.

And it's here. He meets me today to pay tribute to his closest friend, Jock Sorell.

How you doing, mate?

Um,

not great. Like, if I'm

I wanna say I'm OK, but,

um,

yeah, I'm not great. It's

This has hit me like a tonne of bricks.

Um,

you know,

he's the hot and soulless place.

Um, and it's really hard being in here.

I think this is the toughest that it's actually hit me.

Is it weird? Not having him here in the kitchen.

Um,

it was It was just weird coming through the front gate. It was weird walking past

his change room. It was weird being a maker.

We're always together. We do all this stuff together.

Um,

he's just always been there for me, and

and I'm I'm just struggling

to realise that he's he's actually

he's gone.

What have you been doing for the past few days? How have you been

getting your head around the news? Have you been able to get your head around it?

Um,

no. I I I No, I haven't. Um, it's been pretty tough.

Um,

start you start to reflect. I suppose

I

I had lunch with Jock on on the Saturday before he passed. Um,

and that was the first thing I thought about,

Um,

you know, we had

It was a usual lunch. We went to lunch,

we went to Tipo.

He bought He ordered the whole menu.

Um,

we hadn't seen each other for a while,

so it was a It was a good old catch up about what we've been doing.

What we're excited about.

The Zon

Frilo family had recently relocated to Rome and were

looking forward to a future in the Italian capital.

With MasterChef seasons set to launch,

Jock flew back to Melbourne by himself last week.

He was so excited

about

Monday,

and then he was so excited

to get back over to to Rome.

Um,

he couldn't wait. He couldn't wait just to just to start that with his family.

Um,

part of me and this is so it's just a

part of me just feels guilty that I that it that it wasn't them, you know,

because that was like,

that was

I just Yeah. I just wish that

that that it was them,

um, sitting there

having lunch, having lunch,

the jock I'd give anything to to swap positions. Um,

yeah.

And he's saying that it was It was it was still so nice to to see him

one last time. And he was in great spirits. Honestly, it was

it was like, Nah, it it it was a three hour catch-up. You know, about

about what we'd been up to about

about the show,

Um, about the future. Like we just talked each other's ear off for three hours.

It was so,

um,

he was so normal. He was in such good spirits. He was like,

he was so excited about the show launching. Um,

but yeah, the MO most of all, he was just so excited

to to get over. And

I saw Lauren and the kids last night.

I went and cooked, cooked them some some food, and,

uh, they just wanted me to say

how much they can feel the support

for for jock and themselves. Um,

they're hurting, but it does help.

They They've been overwhelmed with

how much support there has been from him for him and the family.

They didn't.

They didn't know, Like, just like you and I It's It's been

unreal

to see

how much support and where it's come from and who it's come from.

Um,

so yeah, they just wanted to

for me to say that they they feel it,

they feel it.

Um,

it's tough,

but I feel like

is she OK?

Um,

no,

no,

no.

Ah, she's the strongest woman I've ever met. But,

um,

yeah, she's lost her best friend.

Um

and

yeah, it's just the It's just the thing. Like

Josh'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.

Um,

they're the things that are hurting her

the most.

Oh, fire out. It's gonna be so the hardest.

The hardest thing is I've always got Alfie.

Um,

I can't get his little voice and face out of my head

saying that you're my best friend, Papa.

He said it every day.

What will you miss most about your mate?

Oh, everything. Like

I I I I don't know. I

I probably spend more time in the six months that we film.

I spend more time with him than my wife.

I I am gonna miss

everything that this guy

has brought

into my life.

I'm

you know, and I am.

Oh,

he can wait for Alex. And I have kids as well.

Um,

yeah. You couldn't wait for that.

He always said that I was gonna be a great dad,

and I just I just wish that

he was around to say that.

Um

do you want to take a minute and have a drink or something? Honey, are you OK?

Yeah.

You're doing so beautifully. Well, you're speaking about your friends, so Well,

Jock and Andy's friendship was born in 2020

when, along with Melissa

Leong,

they landed one of the most high profile jobs in TV.

Please welcome your new phenomenal MasterChef judges JOC solo,

Melissa Leon,

third and final judge and the all

Did you know each other before?

No, Weirdly,

we'd never met before we were announced as the new judges on MasterChef.

And, um

I think, Yeah, this is where it began.

But then it it it really exploded out into our personal lives, our day to day lives.

But I didn't realise. I didn't realise then how how much he would mean to me

and how much he would mean to

not just me, but my wife, my family, my friends,

um,

and also Law

and the kids as well, like we were It sounds so.

Yeah, we were We were We were family. And,

well, you were put into this really

surreal circumstance you were taking over from some much loved hosts.

Did you share a little bit of nervousness about that with Jock or did he

not really?

Not really. I think we we we always

we knew that it was going to impact our lives. But I think what jock was really, um,

open about

sharing and guiding me was how much it was

gonna change our lives outside of the kitchen.

And he was just always by my side,

you know, telling me what that meant telling me,

you know,

giving me advice. He was big on that, Wasn't he

on emotion And,

like, you know,

he is That Scottish bloke drinks whiskey, you know, hard as nails.

But then

he's such a vulnerable person, and he really does just

open up his emotions. And

there is no conversation too big or too small. He wants to be a part of that emotion.

Oh, it's hard, um,

talk talking about I I always go from,

um

past the present, and I always pick myself up on it.

It's really, really difficult because it is so, so fresh still.

Um,

but yeah, he he just

It was another thing like I you know, being 10 years younger than I am.

I I I still have so many things to learn, and that was one of the things that

he taught me was to be vulnerable

and show your emotions, and he'd he'd be he'd probably be up there now. Going.

I did an alright job, cos you're a mess.

Master Chef was set to debut last Monday night.

Instead,

friends and fans were left reeling from the news

of Jock's death With the blessing of the Zillo

family. The show will now launch tonight. Hello, everyone.

And welcome to the MasterChef kitchen.

You actually believe it.

How do you think you'll go watching it?

Not great.

Um,

I like I I I I have told myself that I will watch it.

Um,

yeah, he bought that,

um,

he he he would want that. And it's gonna be hard.

Don't get me wrong, but it's it's it's not about me. It's It's a it's about.

It's about him,

you know?

This is him

doing right now what he

is best at.

Yeah, it'll be hard, but

I'm fortunate for him.

How proud are you of what

you and Jock were able to achieve together?

Um,

yeah. I'm, uh I'm I'm so proud.

I'm so proud.

I'm not much of a, um

you know, I'm not much of a person who reflects that much, and and, uh,

and I've just started to and and I'm just so proud

that we could that we did it together.

I I I don't know how I'm gonna do it anymore. I'm gonna do it. Don't get me wrong.

Um but I don't know how I'm going to.

Were you supposed to watch the premiere together?

No, we we hadn't cos he was going to be on the project.

So

by the time he kind of done that, he was like, I'm I'm not gonna be able to see it. So

we talked about it when we were at lunch on Saturday.

But what I am kind of really happy with and I don't know if this can go to air, But

he has seen the first episode.

What did he think?

He's so excited? He's like, it's the best first ever I've seen

This is literally what he said to me while I was smashing some pasta.

Um,

and he's he is critical.

And so when he says it's the best episode he's ever seen,

it's the best episode he's ever seen.

Um,

yeah,

yeah.

A proud Scot jock loved his whiskey,

and tonight fans around the world are planning to raise a glass in

his honour.

Alright,

I know you don't like whiskey.

I like it. I like it for him

to jock. Hey, To Jock.

I'm shaking.

Oh,

and you are so

incredible for doing this for your friend today. Thank you so much for talking to me.

Yeah, I didn't know how I was gonna do it, but I knew that

you do it for me.

Yeah.

You do anything for me

up next?

Tributes to Jock from those who knew him best As chefs

from across Australia and around the world pay their respects,

mates,

uh, love you, miss you

And that next glass of whiskey that's, uh, dedicated to you, mate.

The most creative, warmhearted, um, exuberant person. I'll miss you,

Jock. Sofia

will never die.

He will live on. He lives within us.

We've united,

and we're talking about the good times.

So

this is a special edition of the project. A tribute to Jock.

Welcome back.

Well, being a chef is not for everyone.

High pressure,

unforgiving workplaces where only the toughest will

thrive and jobs on Frillo excelled.

He mastered his craft in some of the greatest kitchens in the world.

And now his fellow chefs,

those with him at the very top of the industry share their memories of a lost mate.

Jock was a unique individual.

He was the most creative, warmhearted, exuberant person who was just

an amazing chef.

Jock was AAA beautiful, human being.

He was just a very kind giving,

generous person in in so many different ways.

Jock was just one of those dudes that was always there for you. You know, he's good.

He's fair, decent, treated everyone with respect

unless they didn't deserve it. And then he wouldn't

jock sore.

He was a great thinker. He was a kind man,

a thoughtful man. What he stood for

was excellence. Jock's superpower, I think, was his curiosity.

He was super curious and fascinated in people food, travel, his smile,

that energy that is more than energy.

It was seductive because it drew people in.

Jock had time for everyone,

you know, like it doesn't matter who it was on a set or in his kitchen.

He genuinely had a love of people.

He would speak to the person that would make coffee on set

the same way he'd speak to the director behind the scenes.

He wants to know. Where have you been What have you eaten?

What's the most outrageous thing you put in your mouth over the last six months?

There is no question. Jock's passion for food was second to none.

He's one of the the most talented chefs I've

I've ever come across cooked like a demon.

The connection that he had with someone who was passionate

about food was that he wanted to let them know,

Don't stop.

Um,

the pursuit of perfection and the pursuit of

knowledge and being inquisitive is an endless road.

Jock was very good at reminding people of that. You know, he he loved the industry.

Um, he loved food. He loved mentoring. He loved teaching. He loved experimenting.

He was a natural teacher with amazing technique to draw from.

I think Jock made a difference to to anyone he connected with.

If you ever needed to bounce anything off.

You know, Jock, Jock was the person, All the stories, there's a consistency there.

And the consistency is he made time for me.

Come here.

He knew what he wanted in his career, and he was driven and he was passionate.

He was quite an extraordinary man.

He set up this incredible journey in life adventure to Australia made his mark.

You know, Jock came out here and, you know,

he was in his twenties when he was head chef of of Restaurant 41 which is a,

you know, one of the best restaurants in the country,

if not the best restaurant at the time that he was there, you know, had three hats,

You know that That's an incredible accomplishment.

He came from really humble beginnings, and he smashed it.

Jock smashed it turned everything on his head in the most magical

and delicious way as a chef jock brought so much to Australia,

he was a mentor to to so many people.

But

what he had done with Iran and and the

Iran Foundation and indigenous foods taught everyone so much.

He embraced indigenous ingredients not only our indigenous ingredients,

but also our indigenous culture and the indigenous communities, and

sort of was one of the first people to actually care and give a shit.

You know, back in those days,

everyone was pretty naive about indigenous food particularly, you know,

the the chef world.

And, uh, he bought knowledge that made us all open our eyes and and start using it.

Some of the funniest meals I ever had

in Australia were cooked by jock on.

He loved Australia So much,

mate.

Yes, he did.

What he did by doing like seeing is believing actions speak louder than words.

That that's kind of jock, right? He was

special. But I think what people don't know is how much he cared.

You know,

like how much he really did care about his

craft and the people around him who are very,

very honest, genuine man.

Try.

The ripples

have been devastating.

No one's gonna get over this quickly.

If there's one thing that we've done as chefs is,

we've united

and we're talking about the good times.

So

sorry.

It's just so painful, that's all.

Ah, if I could say one last thing,

mate, love you, miss you.

And that next glass of whiskey is that's, uh, dedicated to you, mate.

I'll miss you.

He did a lot on this planet, and it's, um,

time for him to rest. So

Jock Sofia

will never die.

He will live on through everyone he touched.

He lives within us.

And everybody who watches that show

a little piece of him

who be instilled in them.

That's the truth. His legacy is going to be

that

kilt and just what he stood for.

So

I mean, what a tribute, Because

there's There are giants in that package,

like proper giants, and they're looking up

at him,

and it it seems.

I mean,

the impression you get speaking to everybody is that's

because as much of a giant as he was,

he never acted at that station. He he always

was acting as at the level of everyone he was

doing mouth chef contestants or people he'd barely like.

I've spoken to people who

tell stories of, like a family member who met Jock really briefly.

It might be like a couple of minutes, something like that,

and the impact that had on them

months. Years later.

They still talk about that. They still reflect on that, and and that's the thing.

I

mean, when you think about the colour of those people, they spot that in him

and they would have no reason to spot that if it

if it wasn't so present in everything that he did.

He was a giant in so many ways,

and I think partly because he he stared down his demons at a really young age.

He pulled himself back from the brink and he did not want to squander

a moment. Moment of life. Um, his his beautiful family, his gorgeous wife.

He had so, so, so much to live for. Um,

such an incredible bloke

and

the amount of giving

the amount of giving the mean I mean, even speaking to Andy.

Um, the other day he said that Jock's

best part of what he loved most about Master Chef was

mentoring the up and coming chefs and

and putting them on a path that he was on. He just wanted to give back.

And not because he thought it was the brief. No,

because that just

love

it.

Well, it's time for a quick break. Now.

Our special tribute to Jock continues with one of his closest mates, Jimmy Barnes.

Right after this, stay with us,

Cos. Now

welcome back Tonight we've heard from just some of the many people

whose lives were made so much richer for having known jocks on Phil

to all of those who have so generously shared their memories and their time.

Thank you.

And to those who might have only known jock by watching MasterChef.

Thank you for helping us celebrate such a remarkable life.

So it's fitting that we leave the final words

to Jock's great mate and fellow Scot Jimmy Barnes.

My young

the banks

Breath

the sun

break

Yes, me

true love Spend

a happy day

on the

of

Yeah,

yeah,

And I take the

mhm

He and Scott

on

Yeah

was there that we played

in the young Shayla

on the steep

saying

We're fine

Oh,

you

and hills and view

And the

when it's

time

10

and sky

I mean

again

the body

No,

we

bid is sing

the wild flowers of spring

The sun shine the water turns I see

they

heart and make a

second spring here

and

me

start

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