Guts

A gripping, incisive and darkly funny memoir from food and style icon and MasterChef Australia's first female judge, Melissa Leong.

'Leong serves up her raw, vibrant truth. Now that takes real guts.' - Kylie Kwong
'Utterly delectable' - Narelda Jacobs
'Melissa Leong is an Australian culinary and cultural treasure.' - Ronny Chieng

Gold Logie-nominated TV personality and food icon Melissa Leong bites down on her demons in this searing memoir, exploring themes of abuse in the hospitality industry, racism, mental health and, for a light palate cleanser, the thrill of mouth-wateringly memorable food. Most of all, she inspires the courage to create a life you really, really want.

From Melissa Leong (aka fooderati) - the first female judge of MasterChef Australia and Dessert Masters, fashion obsessive and self-confessed contrarian - comes an evocative, sharp, darkly funny and often brutal account of what it's like to try, fail and scrape together the confidence to try again. She invites you to consider your own limiting self-beliefs ... and give them the finger.

These stories take place inside kitchens and television studios, on farms and even in an abattoir. Leong shares how her dream of being a concert pianist crumbled due to chronic pain, her struggles with racism and identity as a first-generation Singaporean Chinese woman, how blowing up her life to reset her path was maybe (definitely!) worth it, and why going your own way absolutely is.

Garnished with Leong's favourite recipes, Guts is above all a glorious love letter to food, to choosing the unpredictable path and to believing in yourself even - and especially - when the odds are stacked against you.

No guts, no glory. Hope you're hungry.

About the Author

Melissa Leong is a Gold Logie-nominated television presenter and personality, freelance food and travel journalist, food media consultant, radio broadcaster, MC and cookbook editor. She lives in Melbourne but is often found elsewhere.