I was a bit of a wild kid.

Living in a small country town, there wasn't a whole lot to do so you find your own fun. I was always getting myself in trouble.

Despite being quite a shy kid, I was in my element with my mates. I definitely wasn't shy then. We had a lot of fun, running around town getting into mischief.

That way I look at it, I want to push myself to create things people could've never imagined. It's a good motto to have in the back of your head, I think.

As a young kid I wanted to be a truck driver.

When I was kid, one of the big things was watching all the cattle trucks and wheat trucks coming through town.

I love Vegemite sandwiches, Milo, ham sandwiches, chicken breasts, and that's all I used to eat. I wouldn't eat anything else. So at home there was always two sets of dinner, one for Mum and Dad and one for me, because I was so fussy.

I love jelly gummy lollies, liquorice, ice-cream and I eat my own ice-cream; I take it home from work.

I've never been worried about being alone and there is no pressure to get married, although I would love to do it one day with the right girl.

I need a strong woman who can handle the attention I get and not get upset if I cuddle a stranger for a social photo.

Coming from an Italian family, my parents had supermarkets and they said I had to take over as any son should take over the family business - I copped a lot of flak when I said 'no.'

I was a real unfocused academic student, always fiddling around in class, or doing something silly and thinking of something else that had nothing to do with school.

Geography was my best subject but that was only because of the game 'Carmen Sandiego.' I chased her all over the world.

At school, before I left, I was making cake mixes and taking them to school, giving them to teachers and my classmates.

You need to have that natural instinct in the kitchen, in order to develop that combination of interesting flavors that make great desserts work.

Focus on the flavor and texture of your desserts. Don't go overboard with too many ingredients and flavors keep a good balance of flavors.

I think the main mistake people tend to make is that they rush desserts. Take your time and plan ahead.

I would definitely recommend getting a decent electric mixer. A good quality non-stick baking mat is also essential for creating those impressive desserts.

I love Melbourne and South Yarra's perfect for high tea.

I love high tea, but I think it's very repetitive in terms of what's on the stand.

When I have red velvet cake, I normally have cream cheese icing.

You can always imagine the unexpected and strive for it. You may never get there, but it's always a good thing to have.

The 'Larousse' is my favorite book. It's my bible; it's a good reference for me.

I've probably got about 300 books. I love collecting books.

So my brain started ticking and I bought all my books from a cookbook shop, Libraire Gourmand in Paris. I bought them over the Internet and they sent them from France. I got the 'Larousse' in a box with 20 other books. I was pretty excited. It was like Christmas for 20 years.

Texture and flavor is king.

It was a great challenge creating the Zumbarons. Coming up with the elements for each was the hardest, but it only took us one attempt and we were happy with the flavor.

There is sugar in everything. It doesn't matter what you eat in life, there is sugar in it.

For me with sugar, it's all about balance. It's about being strong enough and to have the willpower to say, you know what, Saturday is my treat day, I'm going to eat cake, I'm going to eat dessert, I might eat a packet of biscuits.

Sugar brings happiness. Eating it once or twice a week in a dessert, that's what life is about. There is nothing wrong with it.

There's nothing better than opening a block of chocolate and sitting back and that little joy it brings to your face and to your body.

I'm not that menacing. Although I can be quite direct.

It's definitely always daunting to have your name on a show and a lot of pressure in some ways, but obviously in other ways it's a lot of fun and it's a great honor.

I hope I come across as supportive and encouraging as well as being firm when I need to be firm.

For me inspiration is pretty much life. The life around you and everything that happens, the people you meet, where you go, what you've eaten in your childhood.

My favorite dessert for me to eat at home is Milo and ice cream.

In my early teenage years I wasn't doing well at school and I wasn't really interested in a way. I knew I wasn't going to go to uni or anything like that.

Before I went on sporting trips I'd take chips or lollies. I had a love for sweet foods.

You might go to a cheap bakery that uses really bad fats and sugars and stuff like that. You go to a nice bakery and you can enjoy a nice sweet that's made well and it doesn't make you put on any weight if you eat in moderation and if you do a little bit of exercise.

I was a fussy eater when I was young and a lot of the time my parents weren't there because they were always working. So I'd just eat lollies and biscuits and chips. That's kind of where I got the taste for the sweet fix.

I'm someone who's easily bored.

I want to promote pastry. Pastry has always been in the background - it's always cooking, cooking, cooking on programs, and pastry has just been this thing at the end. I want to show people what we do.

I want to stay ahead and to stay ahead you always have to be thinking out of the box.

I'm like anyone else: there's good and bad in what I do and there are always people out there who think they know better than you.

Everyone has different tastes and palates. Most of the time I put a smile on people's faces but sometimes you get people who have a different view and you take that on board and see what you can make of it.

Everything you do in life or experience in life gives inspiration for the creative process. But it also depends ultimately on what the consumer wants.

I look at what's happening, the trends and what people want, to come up with something that's going to work.

I have the pleasure of being surrounded by desserts and chocolate. If that makes me a sex symbol then great, but it's not my aim in life.

I live my normal life. I love what I do, and try to look after myself as much as I can.

It's an indulgence to go out for bacon and eggs. It's not something you can do every day.