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Chef Miko Aspiras on Being on MasterChef Australia: "It Was Such a Surprise"
The Filipino pastry chef tells us about being a guest judge on its season finale
Published on Aug 13, 2025
(SPOT.ph) Cooking competitions are always fun to watch on the ‘tube, and if there’s any show we find ourselves glueing our eyes to the TV for, it’s gotta be MasterChef. The show, which has editions in different part of the world (the Philippines included!), is loved by viewers around the world not just for the drool-worthy and creative dishes whipped up by their talented chef contestants, but also the valuable insights we can gain from show’s judges. Once in a while they welcome food figures as guest judges—one of the latest examples being Filipino chef Miko Aspiras, who’s appearing in the season finale of MasterChef Australia: Back to Win.
Chef Miko Aspiras on MasterChef Australia
The opportunity to be a guest judge was presented to Aspiras in April. "It was such a surprise for me," he tells SPOT.ph. "I didn't expect to receive a call or a message from the team behind MasterChef, so... I was pleasantly surprised." It had long been his dream to be part of the show, Aspiras continues. "For them to notice me is such a great thing to happen. So I was really stoked and excited, and my creative juices ran right away."
As of writing, the episode has just finished airing today, August 12, on Australia's Network 10. "In the Philippines, we have many different influences and that reflects in our food," Aspiras says as he's introduced by Judge Sofia Levin. Aspiras goes on to challenge remaining contestants Laura Sharrad and Callum Hann to recreate his signature Botanical Garden dessert; the episode ends with Sharrad officially taking home the title of this season's MasterChef.
Aspiras initially made the announcement about his appearance in a social media post published August 11. "Surprise surprise! I'm honored to announce that I'll be a guest judge at the MasterChef Australia Season 17 Finale!," he writes. "I hope you've enjoyed this season [of the show] as much as I have!... I'm excited to meet you all at... the Grand Finale and challenge you with the final pressure test."
Of course, it's a well-deserved achievement for Aspiras—no less than the pastry extraordinaire behind dessert shops in Manila: Le Petit Souffle, Workshop, Scout’s Honor, Poison, and Freezer Burn. Aspiras moved to Sydney, Australia in 2019, but that hasn't stopped him from continuing to make his mark in the Philippines: in 2022 he joined Visum Ventures as Executive Pastry Chef, and in 2023 he opened Crown Street Kitchen by Chef Miko at Molito, Alabang. More recently, he appeared on Cooking on 7 on Seven Network's Morning Show on 7 in Australia; he also launched his own gelato brands in Manila (Gelato by Chef Miko) and Sydney (EUCA Gelato).
The Australian edition of MasterChef has semi-finalists competing through different cooking challenges—pressure tests, immunity challenges, team challenges, and more. Elimination rounds happen weekly to find the winning MasterChef, who is rewarded A$250,000 (roughly P9,275,012!). This 17th series in particular, titled MasterChef Australia: Back To Win, features 24 contestants from previous seasons, and regular judges Andy Allen, Sofia Levin, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Poh Ling Yeow.
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