Poh Ling Yeow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Poh Ling Yeow
楊寶玲
Yeow at the InStyle and Audi Woman of Style Awards, May 2013
Born	(1973-12-17) 17 December 1973 (age 51) Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Citizenship	Australian
Alma mater	University of South Australia
Occupation	Cook artist actress author television presenter
Years active	1998–present
Style	Asian fusion, Southeast Asian, French pastry, bakery (cooking) Painting (art)
Title	Runner-up, MasterChef Australia (season 1)
Spouse(s)	Jono Bennett ​ ​ (m. 2014; separated 2021)​ Matt Phipps (divorced)

Poh Ling Yeow (born December 17, 1973) is a talented Australian cook, artist, actress, author, and TV presenter. She was born in Malaysia. Poh has hosted many cooking shows, like Poh's Kitchen on ABC and Poh & Co on SBS. She has also written several cookbooks.

Poh became famous after being the runner-up on the first season of MasterChef Australia on Network 10. The winner was Julie Goodwin. Since then, Poh has returned to MasterChef Australia many times. She has been a guest judge, a mentor, and even a contestant again in 2020. Since 2024, she has been a permanent judge on the show.

Early Life and Background

Poh Ling Yeow was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her family is Malaysian Chinese, and her mother has Hakka heritage. Poh attended SMK Convent Bukit Nanas in Malaysia.

When she was nine years old, Poh moved to Australia with her parents and brother. They settled in Adelaide, South Australia. She went to Seymour College and then the University of South Australia. There, she earned a degree in design. After university, Poh worked as a graphic designer, illustrator, and makeup artist.

Poh used the name Sharon until she was 25. Then, she decided to use her birth name, Poh Ling, to connect more with her cultural background. In 2002, she became a full-time professional artist.

Poh's Career

Poh as an Artist

Poh Ling Yeow mainly creates art using acrylic paint on canvas. Her earlier paintings had rough, textured backgrounds. Her newer works are smoother and show more detail.

Poh often includes parts of her Chinese heritage in her art. For example, she uses goldfish, which are a symbol of good luck in Chinese culture. She also paints lotus flowers, ponds, and Australian plants and animals. A character she calls The Girl often appears in her recent art. Poh says this character is like her "autobiographical twin."

Poh's art has been shown in galleries like Hill Smith Gallery and Libby Edwards Gallery. Her work has also been featured in magazines such as Vogue Australia and House & Garden. In 2003, Poh donated an artwork to help raise money for breast cancer research. In 2007, her art was used on the cover of a book called The Chinese Exotic.

Poh as a Cook and TV Star

Poh Ling Yeow first appeared on the ABC TV show Beat the Chef in 2005. She cooked dishes like Ying Yang Prawns and Basil Thai Fried Rice.

In 2009, Poh was chosen as one of the top 20 contestants for the first season of MasterChef Australia. More than 7000 people applied for the show. Poh was eliminated once but was allowed to return. She made it to the final competition on July 19, 2009. She finished as the runner-up, with Julie Goodwin winning the season.

After MasterChef, Poh signed a deal with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This led to her own cooking series called Poh's Kitchen and two cookbooks. The first season of Poh's Kitchen started airing in February 2010. Poh was even nominated for an award in 2011 for Most Popular New Female Talent.

In 2011, a second season of Poh's Kitchen aired, called Poh's Kitchen on the Road. For this show, Poh traveled across Australia, Singapore, and Thailand. She explored different foods and cooking styles. A third season of the show premiered in September 2012.

In 2015, Poh started a new series on SBS called Poh & Co.. This show featured various cooking styles and also showed the renovation of Poh's backyard.

Poh also opened a gourmet food stall called Jamface by Poh at the Adelaide Showground Farmers' Market. In 2016, she opened a cafe with the same name at the Adelaide Central Market. This cafe closed in October 2019.

In 2019, Poh returned to MasterChef Australia as a mentor for the contestants. In 2020, she came back as a contestant for MasterChef Australia: Back to Win and finished in 6th place.

In August 2023, it was announced that Poh would host a new cooking show on SBS with fellow MasterChef contestant Adam Liaw. The show is called Adam & Poh's Great Australian Bites. They travel around Australia, cooking with local people.

In October 2023, Network 10 announced that Poh Ling Yeow would become a permanent host and judge for the sixteenth season of MasterChef Australia. She joined new judges Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli, and returning judge Andy Allen. This change happened after the sad passing of former judge Jock Zonfrillo and the departure of Melissa Leong.

Other TV and Film Roles

Poh Ling Yeow has appeared in several films. These include Human Touch (2004), Peaches (2004), and Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger (2008). She was also involved in the short film Jackie's Spring Palace (2009) as a production designer.

Besides her cooking shows, Poh has had roles in other TV programs. These include Room 101, Can of Worms, and Reality Check. In 2013, she appeared in the ABC comedy series It's a Date with Dave Lawson.

Poh has said that she always follows what she enjoys doing in all creative areas.

From 2021, Poh was one of the hosts of the Australian version of Snackmasters. In 2022, she appeared on the eighth season of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. Later that year, she was a celebrity contestant on the Lego Masters Australia Christmas special.

In 2023, Poh made a special appearance in an episode of Thank God You're Here. She played a TV cooking show judge.