What an honour to be nominated in the Marie Claire Women of the Year Awards for the Voice of Now Category among such a powerhouse of fellow nominees including Em Rusciano, Antoinette Lattouf and Noor Aziza
There isn’t much Melissa Leong hasn’t devoured in the name of understanding food, culture and courage. A Gold Logie–nominated television presenter, food journalist, author and style icon, Melissa has long been one of Australia’s most distinctive and fearless voices – on screen, on the page, and at the table.
From co-hosting MasterChef Australia, Junior MasterChef and Dessert Masters alongside pastry virtuoso Amaury Guichon, to getting lost in the backstreets of Ho Chi Minh in search of the perfect banh mi, Melissa has built a career – and a life – on curiosity, risk and unflinching authenticity.
In 2025, she added another course to her extraordinary repertoire with the release of her memoir, Guts: A Memoir of Food, Failure and Taking Impossible Chances. Equal parts raw, riveting and darkly funny, Guts explores the beauty and brutality of the food industry, the experience of racism and chronic pain, and the art of rebuilding your life from the wreckage. Critics have called it “utterly delectable” and “a love letter to food and self-belief.”
A first-generation Singaporean Australian, Melissa has spent her career championing diversity, creativity and self-determination – both within and beyond the kitchen. Her life philosophy remains her signature recipe for success: be voracious.