Creating culinary chemistry on My Kitchen Rules

Frankston’s Tommy Debenham and Rach McCann from Perth are inseparable best friends. Often mistaken for a couple, they’re ready to spice up My Kitchen Rules. Sarah Halfpenny speaks to the 30-year-olds about their experience.

How did you meet?
Tommy: I actually moved into this house in Albert Park.

Rach: We interviewed Tom for the spot.

Tommy: There was a panel, but “What are your cooking skills like?” was not one of the questions.

Rach: That's actually very funny.

Tommy: There was no mention of food in the interview.

Rach: That’s not true because I would have wanted to know how much fridge space you’d take up. That's our dynamic: Tommy throws caution to the wind; I’m the one who gets into the nitty-gritty and takes things very seriously. He keeps me lighthearted. Even in one of the promo videos for MKR, Tommy hits me on the butt with a tea-towel and you can see the shock on my face. I’m like “Tom! Stop mucking around!”

Tommy: We’re both very open people and never say no to adventure. We live very creative, exciting lives full of friends and family and our work.

What made you want to apply for My Kitchen Rules?
Tommy: For me, an interest in cooking started at a young age. I studied food technology when I was in Year 12 at Frankston High and my mum, Narelle, has always been an amazing cook. It was something she integrated into our upbringing. Mum would lead me to the fridge and open it, and there’d be the most random ingredients in there: a banana, a pork chop, a plum and some honey, and she'd say: “Right, what can you make?” She always pushed us to be creative with food, and my nana and grandad have always been very passionate home cooks and growers. For many years they’ve been self-sufficient on their property in Frankston. So I learnt about where our food came from and was always very involved. It’s something I carried with me, and as I got older I fused the entertaining side of things into that, which led to where we are. Rach and I live together and it brings us a lot of joy to cook together and entertain for our friends.

Rach: I’m originally from Western Australia, and similar to Tommy my family are very European-influenced. There were always home-cooked meals, and food was a celebration. As an extended family we would get together for meals regularly, and it's a memory I cherish from my childhood. What your family teach you about food is so important because it stays with you. For me it's about generosity, sharing, creative expression and self-expression. And my nan was also a person who influenced me. I’d take a sick day off school and we’d cook together. We’d make pavlova or scones or pancakes; lots of baking together. For me, the love of cooking is really connected to joyful expressions and friends. I have my own garden here in Albert Park. Everywhere I’ve lived all over the world –even when I lived in Japan – I had a little outdoor garden. I've been adopted into Tommy’s family and his nana and grandad are so kind and supportive, and they send me seedlings to put in the garden. Tom's mum has taken me down the Mornington Peninsula and immersed me in food culture there. Tommy and I have so many similarities and are so united in the way we cook and entertain.

On the show you represent Western Australia, but were there any Mornington Peninsula influences in the dishes you cooked on MKR?

Tommy: There are a lot of similarities between where Rach grew up in WA and the Mornington Peninsula.

Rach: Tommy and I feel strongly about this. We both grew up by the ocean. Climate-wise, WA and the Peninsula are different, but there’s a correlation in the way people eat. There's a big connection to local produce and to family and supporting small businesses. Where I'm from in Perth, and the southwest region where I've spent a lot of time, is very much like the Peninsula. Our cooking is inspired by landscapes, by people, by colours and shapes and art. They all inform our food. Tom and I have similar ideas and I think that's because it stems from growing up in similar landscapes.

Any memorable moments from your time on the show?

Tommy: To participate in a show like MKR was incredible; to be able to embark on something like that with a best friend is once-in-a-lifetime. We had the most amazing time; we laughed our way through the whole thing.

Rach: Because it’s a show about home cooking, you get to go into the homes of the other contestants and you really get a sense of who someone is in their own home. We loved the other people on the show; they were awesome.

Tommy: I'm grateful for the experience of spending so much time with Rach and getting to better our cooking skills together. It's quite something to put a friendship through, and it's amazing to come out the other side and say: “Wow! Look what we just did!”

My Kitchen Rules premieres at 7.30pm on Monday, September 4, on Channel 7 and 7plus. It airs at 7.30pm Monday to Wednesday.