By Marta Jary for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 09:06 EST, January 27, 2024 | Updated: 09:13 EST, January 27, 2024

By Marta Jary for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 04:21 EST, December 31, 2023 | Updated: 04:42 EST, December 31, 2023

Former MasterChef contestant Ben Ungermann has announced a major career move, three years after he was acquitted of sex charges.

The 39-year-old bodybuilder and chef revealed that he will be opening a new restaurant in Cape Town, South Africa called Ben’s Italian.

‘EXCITING NEWS… my new restaurant is coming!’ Ungermann wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

“A fun fact about me: I make really great Italian food,” he added.

Ungermann then announced that he will open a pop-up restaurant, which will start on Friday.

Ungermann was spared a criminal conviction in 2021 for physically assaulting a 16-year-old girl in a Melbourne hotel room.

The chef was instead placed in a diversion program, which allowed him to avoid a criminal record for the Docklands attack in February 2020.

Three sexual assault charges against Ungermann over the same incident were dropped by the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

They were replaced by one charge of common law assault, with the consent of the prosecutors and the girl.

Ungermann admitted to physically grabbing the girl and pulling her toward him for a few seconds in his hotel room.

At the time, he had traveled to Melbourne to film for Channel 10’s cooking show MasterChef: Back to Win.

He and the girl ate, drank sake and talked about Ungermann’s breakup before the attack.

Ungermann said he would get a “s**tface” before returning to the hotel room, asking the girl for a hug and pulling her onto his chest.

His attorney, Abbie Roodenburg, said Ungermann took responsibility for what happened.

“This was a one-time, brief touch,” the attorney said, adding that it was “out of character.”

Ungermann agreed to write an apology letter, make a $1,000 donation to charity and undergo mental health treatment as part of the distraction.

The girl wanted to read a statement to the court about the consequences of the abuse.

Magistrate Mia Stylianou did not allow this because the wording did not match the charge that Ungermann eventually admitted.

“I read that and I am saddened by it,” the magistrate also said of the statement.

Ms Stylianou highlighted the stress the victim had been through, especially as she had prepared to testify against Ungermann before the case was resolved.

Ms Roodenburg said the “public personality” lost his reputation and gained sponsorship from his first appearance on MasterChef in 2017, when he came second.

“He understands that this process is stressful for everyone,” the lawyer added.

“But certainly for Mr. Ungermann, the manner in which these charges came about and the media attention led to significantly disproportionate sentences.”

Ms Roodenburg also said a criminal conviction would have made it difficult for Ungermann to move on and work abroad.

He was also represented by Western Australia-based lawyer and fellow 2017 MasterChef contestant Benjamin Bullock.

Outside court, Mr Bullock said: ‘We welcome the opportunity for Benny to clear his name. It’s really just about him moving on now and getting on with his life.”

The magistrate acknowledged that Ungermann had endured public defamation through media coverage of his case.

Former MasterChef contestant Ben Ungermann has announced a surprise career move, three years after he was acquitted of child sex charges.

The 39-year-old bodybuilder and chef revealed that he will be opening a new restaurant in Cape Town, South Africa called Ben’s Italian.

‘EXCITING NEWS… my new restaurant is coming!’ Ungermann wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

“A fun fact about me: I make really great Italian food,” he added.

Ungermann then announced that he will open a pop-up restaurant, which will start on Friday.

Ungermann was spared a criminal conviction in 2021 for physically assaulting a 16-year-old girl in a Melbourne hotel room.

The chef was instead placed in a diversion program, which allowed him to avoid a criminal record for the Docklands attack in February 2020.

Three sexual assault charges against Ungermann over the same incident were dropped by the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

They were replaced by one charge of common law assault, with the consent of the prosecutors and the girl.

Ungermann admitted to physically grabbing the girl and pulling her toward him for a few seconds in his hotel room.

At the time, he had traveled to Melbourne to film for Channel 10’s cooking show MasterChef: Back to Win.

He and the girl ate, drank sake and talked about Ungermann’s breakup before the attack.

Ungermann said he would get a “s**tface” before returning to the hotel room, asking the girl for a hug and pulling her onto his chest.

His attorney, Abbie Roodenburg, said Ungermann took responsibility for what happened.

“This was a one-time, brief touch,” the attorney said, adding that it was “out of character.”

Ungermann agreed to write an apology letter, make a $1,000 donation to charity and undergo mental health treatment as part of the distraction.

The girl wanted to read a statement to the court about the consequences of the abuse.

Magistrate Mia Stylianou did not allow this because the wording did not match the charge that Ungermann eventually admitted.

“I read that and I am saddened by it,” the magistrate also said of the statement.

Ms Stylianou highlighted the stress the victim had been through, especially as she had prepared to testify against Ungermann before the case was resolved.

Ms Roodenburg said the “public personality” had lost his reputation and gained sponsorship from his first appearance on MasterChef in 2017, when he came second.

“He understands that this process is stressful for everyone,” the lawyer added.

“But certainly for Mr. Ungermann, the manner in which these charges came about and the media attention led to significantly disproportionate sentences.”

Ms Roodenburg also said a criminal conviction would have made it difficult for Ungermann to move on and work abroad.

He was also represented by Western Australia-based lawyer and fellow 2017 MasterChef contestant Benjamin Bullock.

Outside court, Mr Bullock said: ‘We welcome the opportunity for Benny to clear his name. It’s really just about him moving on now and getting on with his life.”

The magistrate acknowledged that Ungermann had endured public defamation through media coverage of his case.

I Quit Sugar founder Sarah Wilson has left Australia for a new life in Paris.

The entrepreneur, who made millions documenting her sugar-free lifestyle, has now revealed she felt unsupported in Australia and was never able to land a television gig again after hosting one season of MasterChef Australia in 2009.

“I don’t think we have yet created the space for discussions that push boundaries,” said the 49-year-old journalist and presenter. Stellar magazine.

She said Australian TV lacks a “space for women to be able to express big political ideas that can make some waves,” before emphatically adding: I’ll be honest, part of the reason I’m here and not in Australia is because I don’t feel stuck in Australia.”

She continued, “I felt left out to a certain extent and instead of continuing to complain and be upset, I left so that I can still love my country and still feel like I can come back.

“I hope one day I can come back to a country where women like me can talk about big issues on mainstream television.”

Wilson now lives in Paris, where she says she lives a “simple life,” without many of the luxuries she enjoyed at the height of her career.

The journalist explained that she does not live a “lavish lifestyle” but chooses to live frugally by staying in a small apartment and cooking most of her own food.

She now runs her own Substack, which has 50,000 subscribers, where she writes about a variety of topics from health and wellness to politics, climate change and transgenderism.

Wilson has been particularly outspoken on the topic of gender dysphoria among teens and children.

She also hosts her own podcast called Wild with Sarah Wilson, featuring in-depth interviews with experts on a variety of polarizing topics.

Wilson is known for her best-selling 2012 book I Quit Sugar and has since published more than 30 others.

In February 2018, she made headlines when she announced she was selling her I Quit Sugar empire.

The health guru, who became popular for her cookbooks full of sugar-free recipes, donated the money from her handsome winnings to charity.

Wilson sold her trove of recipes to Sam Wood’s 28 program, owned by former Bachelor star Sam Wood, for an undisclosed amount.

After closing the business, Sarah traveled the world and embarked on a journey of self-reflection with a walking tour.

She revealed her discoveries in her book This One Wild And Precious Life, which was published in 2020.

Sara told me Body+Soul about her travels: ‘I’ve explored everywhere from Slovenia to Greece, Jordan and the Australian desert. I would go on wild adventures to develop the theories, practices and life hacks with which we can change the world today.’

The avid traveler, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, then revealed the mental health benefits of getting out in nature.

“I’m going to be really confused,” she said of her time in the urban environment.

‘I’ll also feel quite stuck within myself. We are a culture that does not go to extremes and I find that suffocating.

‘When you go into nature, you take risks. You have to jump over logs and navigate around rocks, so all your senses are stimulated – and that brings me to life.”

Despite making a name for herself quitting the stuff, Wilson now says she eats sugar every day.

“Personally, I eat sugar every day,” Wilson said on the podcast I can not live without you.

‘I don’t eat and count it, I don’t weigh it, but I intuitively know how much my body can handle and what the right amount is.’

For Wilson, the right amount of sugar comes down to “a glass or two of red wine” every evening, a few pieces of fruit and chocolate – between 75 and 80 percent strength – a day.

She said she eats between six and nine teaspoons of sugar a day, according to World Health Organization guidelines.

“Every time I eat more, I always realize that’s why I feel so bad,” Wilson said

Before writing I Quit Sugar, she said she discovered she was consuming as much as 30 teaspoons of sugar every day.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there – a lot of people think I still don’t eat sugar or drink alcohol,” Wilson said on the podcast.

But now that she said she knows what her body can handle in terms of sugar, she has introduced a little bit back into her diet.

Wilson has also reaped the tremendous benefits of cutting out excessive amounts of excess sugar, including more energy, clearer skin and better overall health.

She is currently writing a new book, which Stellar says is “about the collapse of a lot of things that are going on” and deals with politics and the environment.

One of the world’s best chefs impressed viewers of MasterChef: The Professionals in a semi-final episode of the show – for the gentle way he treated the three contestants fighting for a place in the final.

British chef Jeremy Chan has two Michelin stars at London eatery Ikoyi, which also recently ranked in the top 50 restaurants in the world, and has put professional chefs Tom, Lauren and Charlie to the test in the latest episode of the show.

Chan’s restaurant, which charges up to £300 for its tasting menu dinners, is inspired by African cuisine and in episode 17 the contestants helped his kitchen serve up the 18-course lunch menu.

There was no sign of the fiery temperament chefs are known for, with fans praising Chan for treating the hopefuls with respect – even when disaster struck for Lauren.

While serving an octopus dish, the young chef forgot one portion and looked nervous when the restaurant owner added them up to reveal the mistake.

However, 36-year-old Chan was ice cold and simply asked for one of the octopuses to be cut in half to make a second portion.

Viewers were impressed by the calm approach of the two Michelin star chefs.

One wrote: ‘This guy, Jeremy, is a class man – Wareing and Galetti should have come along for a refresher course – in cooking and manners.’

Another added: ‘Yes, tonight’s show with Jeremy at Ikoyi’s was fantastic, he seems so sincere and sincere, it was really lovely to see as some professional chefs in the past have come across as shouty and aggressive.’

One viewer commented: ‘Chef Jeremy was so gentle and supportive – none of that shouting we’ve seen from previous chefs – candidates are more likely to do a better job.’

He received a call elsewhere ‘one of the most inspiring chefs with one of the most innovative restaurants I’ve ever seen on #MasterChefTheProfessionals.’

The second part of the show saw the trio of chefs hoping to lift the MasterChef Pro crown to the kitchen.

A hard-fought final cooking competition saw all three chefs criticized for their dishes, although Charlie’s main course of monkfish was enough to see him sail through to the final.

Tom faced the wrath of Marcus Wareing for serving a close-cropped guinea fowl breast, which the chef had decided to cut up to make it look neater on the plate.

However, it was a tearful Lauren who was ultimately shown the door after none of her dishes – a smoked Scottish bonnet pork belly followed by a charred pineapple dish with dark chocolate mousse – impressed Wareing or Galetti.

The remaining semi-finalists, James, Kasae and Tommy, will face similar challenges in the next episode as they battle for the final two final spots.

The latest episode of MasterChef: The Professionals has caused quite a stir after a fan favorite was unexpectedly given the boot.

Philippe Sonou, a private chef from Paris, had been tipped to win the show thanks to his inventive African-inspired cooking, but the 33-year-old controversially lost in a super close semi-final.

Viewers were left fuming on their televisions as judges Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace announced that Phillipe and Kyle – who were also thought to have been permanently ruled out of the final – were going home.

Instead, Charlie and Lauren, who impressed during the episode’s second chance, have booked their places for the final stage of the competition.

The sight of Philippe packing up his white chef and leaving the Pro behind left many wondering if the right decision had been made – with one viewer saying they would be boycotting the show from now on, and another admitting they’d ‘ were deeply saddened.

In the semi-final – episode 16 – eight chefs competed for a place in the final.

After the first round, four automatically went through to the final, while those who weren’t impressed had to cook again – serve a plant-based plate – and two chefs had to leave the show.

Philippe’s first dish – cassava fries, coconut, lemongrass and plantain puree with a tomato-based sauce inspired by his West African heritage – did not meet the judges’ expectations.

After Kasae, James, Tom and Daniel sailed through, Philippe returned again to cook, this time serving an ‘oeuf parfait’, a slow-cooked egg topped with alligator pepper in a hay-infused smoked pepper jelly with curry-coconut cream and spinach coulis .

Monica described the serving as a visual ‘miracle’, telling the Parisian: ‘I have crazy tastes, but I know I enjoy it…’

However, Gregg admitted he “struggled” with the contrasting flavors… and Marcus didn’t hold back. He said Philippe “tried too hard” and said the dish was “so unusual that it was a challenge.”

The decision to end Philippe’s trip there sparked outrage on social media.

One viewer wrote: ‘This whole episode has been a mess. If Philippe – in my opinion the best chef left – goes home, I’m out for the rest of the series.’

Elsewhere there was outright anger, with one viewer writing: ‘What the hell is going on? How did you dump Philippe??? He should never have been in that cook. The first dish was described as challenging, but challenging in a way that had merit. No man, I’m not happy. #philippewasrobbed.’

Another added: ‘Oh bloody hell. What have they done? Philippe was by far the most exciting chef they have had at this competition. Possibly someday.’

One wrote: ‘Actually heartbroken that Philippe has left the competition. I was so sure he would win.”

One fan mourned, saying: ‘The worst part is that we can’t even go to a restaurant to try Philippe’s amazing cooking because he is a private chef.’

The remaining six competitors will now be divided into two groups, with each group competing against each other in a Michelin-starred kitchen to try and reach the final prize – and have a chance to win the final trophy.

By Marta Jary for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 08:59 EST, November 25, 2023 | Updated: 09:03 EST, November 25, 2023

By A. James for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 6:50 AM EST, November 16, 2023 | Updated: 06:55 EST, November 16, 2023

By Paul Revoir Media Editor

Published: 9:03 PM EST, November 12, 2023 | Updated: 9:04 PM EST, November 12, 2023