Excited to see who will be next 'MasterChef Australia' judges: Larissa Takchi

It is the end of an era, says MasterChef Australia season 11 winner Larissa Takchi on the exit of George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan as the judges, but at the same time, she is excited to see their replacements.

Calombaris, Preston and Mehigan, who have been associated with "MasterChef Australia" since the beginning, will not be returning on the show from next season onwards.

"They have been with the show for such a long time. It feels like an end of an era. But at same time, I believe it will be exciting to see who all will be judging the show next season.

"It will be wonderful to see what the new judges bring to the show. It will be a challenge. If you see the whole nature and format of the show, I believe it is possible that it could even get better next season. So yeah I'm sad but also excited," Larrisa told PTI in a telephonic interview from Sydney.

In the season finale, Larissa prevailed over fellow contestants -- Tessa Boersma and Simon Toohey -- by scoring 85/90, including a perfect score of 30/30 for her dessert, a Szechuan Pavlova with Beetroot and Blackberry. She is the youngest "Masterchef Australia" winner.

"It's amazing. I'm really happy with the outcome obviously. It was a good one. I have put in so much hardwork and ultimately being award for it is the most satisfying feeling. It also feels great to be the youngest 'Masterchef' winner in history," she says, reflecting back on her win.

Many of the previous winners have expressed their desire to become a judge on the show one day but Larissa says the thought has not yet crossed her mind because she has still so much to learn.

"I don't have much experience today. There were rumours going around (about her becoming a judge) but they are just rumours. There is no substance to that."
"This experience has definitely helped me in the competition. It came handy in moments of pressure and problem solving."