| Emma Dean | |
| Birth Date: | 16 October 1977 |
| Birth Place: | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Cook, television presenter |
| Years Active: | 2013 – present |
| Known For: | Television cook |
| Predecessor: | Andy Allen |
| Successor: | Brent Owens |
| Relations: | Rachel Dean (sister) |
| Awards: | Winner, MasterChef Australia |
Emma Dean (born 16 October 1977) is an Australian cook and television presenter, who came to prominence as the winner of the fifth series of MasterChef Australia.[1]
Dean spent her childhood on a small farm in Epsom, Victoria. Her elder sister is a clothing designer Rachel Dean.[2]
Dean studied at Monash University and RMIT, completing a master's degree in environment and planning, and worked in town planning for over eight years in the Victoria State Government.[3]
Dean also trained in track cycling at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra as part of a talent identification search. She is Metropolitan Champion in the 500m Time Trail and represented Australia at the 2004 Oceania Track Cycling Championships.[4]
On 1 September 2013, Dean became the series 5 winner of MasterChef Australia. In the final round, Dean faced off against Lynton Tapp in a dessert pressure test, which saw them recreating Attica chef Ben Shewry's complicated Plight of the Bees.[5]
Dean's prize was $100,000, work experience in some of the country's best kitchens, and an Alfa Romeo car. As part of the MasterChef prize, Dean received a book publishing deal with New Holland Publishers.[6] Her cookbook A Homegrown Table was released on 1 December 2013.[7]
Dean was the host of My Market Kitchen, a national television show based at the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne.[8] Her co-presenter was Lynton Tapp with whom she formed a strong friendship[9] during their time together on MasterChef Australia. In 2019, they got replaced by season eight winner Elena Duggan and season ten finalist Khanh Ong.