But, as MICHELLE MEEHAN discovered,the instant celebrity of winning the 2012 series, which has seen a well-known women’s magazine clamouring for his attention, hasn’t changed the down-to-earth Maitland man.

Life is not as Andy Allen once knew it. The former apprentice electrician has gone from weekends full of sport and socialising to being the celebrity chef at food festivals and cooking demonstrations around the country.

The sudden fame that has taken the 24-year-old from the basketball courts of Maitland’s Federation Centre to the centre stage at Melbourne’s Federation Square isn’t quite what he was expecting in 2011 as he battled through the daunting 20 page application to take part in the reality television juggernaut that is MasterChef.

“The first application was about 20 pages long and they asked the most ridiculous questions,” he said.

“I think it took me about a weekand-a-half to fill the thing out, I threw

the laptop about five times. “I really can’t put my finger on why I entered.

“I suppose I must have thought I was an OK cook, but as soon as I went down to the first auditions I realised that I had a fair bit of work to do.

“We [friends and family] always joked about it but it was never something I thought would happen [MasterChef].

“We still laugh to this day that I actually a) got on the show and b) somehow managed to win it, it’s so crazy.”

Crazy is the perfect word to describe what life was like while Allen was in the MasterChef house – and the whirlwind he has experienced since being announced the winner in July last year.

Filming for the 12-week series began in January, 2012, with Allen and his fellow contestants practically secluded from the real world until three weeks before the finale was aired.

“Because the process goes for so long you sort of forget your old life, as soon as you go on the show you’ve got this new life straight away, it’s all about food,” he said.

“Going into the house, you’re locked away with the same people, you get one 10 minute phone call a

week, there’s a small gym in the garage but [compared to] the amount of physical activity I was doing before I went in, it was almost nothing.

“I was extremely frustrated in the house; there were times when I think everyone thought of throwing in the towel at least once.

“I missed my home and my friends ,and my freedom. That was probably the hardest bit.”

Not that Allen is complaining about the experience – or where it has taken him.

In the past seven months he’s travelled to every capital city in Australia, cooked in front of 5000 fans in Federation Square for Mexican Independence Day and even been approached – repeatedly – by women’s magazine Cleo to take part in their annual Bachelor of the Year competition, which was won in 2012 by another former MasterChef contestant, Hayden Quinn.

Not surprisingly, the self-effacing chef on the rise turned that experience down – “I couldn’t bring myself to do it, it’s not for me.”

But Allen was far more excited about another title he has picked up since winning MasterChef – that of published author.

His cookbook, The Next Element, hit the shelves in time for last Christmas.

“The highlight, there’s been a lot; the book is probably the biggest thing,” he said.

“I had to have 80 to 100 recipes, fully tested three times, in about three-and-a-half weeks.

“That's really unheard of, but they really wanted to push it out before Christmas, which I thought was a great idea.

“I created a concept first, which was a progression theme so I wanted to start out with some basic food and work my way up to some harder dishes.

“I'm rapt; I couldn't get any happier [with the book].”

Maitland foodies will get a taste of the elements that make up the book this weekend, with the former Ashtonfield resident back in town for a series of cooking demonstrations.

He will share stories from his time on the reality television show and prepare a tasty salmon dish at the Blackbird Artisan Bakery at Maitland Goal on Friday night aspart of Maitland City Council's Look Who's Talking program.

Six more dishes from his book will hit the hotplates during the following two days as Allen headlines the Maitland Taste Festival in the CBD on Saturday and Sunday.

With a thirst to improve his cooking knowledge, and a likability that is endearing him to fans across the country, there's no doubt the past year is just a taste of what's to come for Maitland's master chef.