Lumen Winter 2016 - Flipbook - Page 27
story by Genevieve Sanchez
Ezani juggles
dentistry, fame
and motherhood
As a dentistry student at the University of Adelaide
Ezani Farhana Md Monoto was inspired by the
diversity of Australian cuisine.
S
he spent her spare moments
cooking and watching MasterChef
Australia – a pastime that proved
unexpectedly rewarding when she
returned home to Malaysia.
Encouraged by friends to enter the first
season of MasterChef Malaysia, Ezani
was not only selected as a contestant,
but after battling her way through the
challenges was crowned the winner.
“I entered the competition not really
having any expectations and not even
aiming for the win so when it happened
it was very daunting thinking that my life
was about to change so much,” she says.
Afterwards, Ezani received an influx
of offers for TV appearances, product
endorsements and ambassadorships.
“I was ready to take on new adventures
with my new life but being thrown into the
limelight with attention from the media and
also being recognised in public was quite
nerve-wracking,” she says.
But fame hasn’t prompted Ezani to set
aside her career in dentistry. She juggles
her full-time dental work, practising at a
university health centre in Malaysia with
her life as a celebrity chef.
In the evenings she writes recipes and
on weekends she often makes guest
Being a dentist
means that I have good
manual dexterity - this
pays off for a cook as
well, to have good hand
and technical skills.
appearances at events, acts as a cooking
competition judge, takes part in photo
and video shoots for commercials or gives
live cooking demonstrations.
As a health professional, Ezani is an
advocate for healthy eating and spreads
the awareness and inspiration for healthy
cooking through various platforms. In
2015 she published her first cookbook
entitled Inspirasi Dapur.
On top of managing two very diverse
careers, Ezani spends as much time as
she can with her baby daughter, enjoying
introducing her to the world of food that
she is so passionate about. Ezani credits
her parents for helping her to succeed,
saying they gave her the freedom to follow
her passion, while also encouraging her
academic and professional career.
“University also taught me a lot about
being independent and studying in Adelaide
as an international student gave me
invaluable social and communication skills,
and an understanding of diversity,” she says.
“Being a dentist means that I have good
manual dexterity – this pays off for a cook
as well, to have good hand and technical
skills. Dentistry also moulded my patience
– I was known in the MasterChef kitchen
as the cool and calm one.”
Ezani is now hoping to expand her
range of baked products which were
released on the market last year.
“I want to continue to be active in both
my careers and ultimately I want to keep
sharing my passion for food with others.”
Photos: Ezani on the MasterChef set
The University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 25
