MasterChef 2012 Launch Event Pictures at Luminare in South Melbourne

The launch event for MasterChef 2012 brought together the show’s judges, former contestants from the first three years, foodies and media at Luminare in South Melbourne last night. The dinner featured gorgeous table settings and the menu included dishes that had been inspired by previous contestants. Among the guests were newly-crowned Cleo Bachelor Hayden Quinn, Michael Weldon, Kate Bracks, Dani Venn, Alana Lowes and Ellie Paxton-Hall from last year’s series, and judges Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan, who hammed it up for the cameras. Matt Moran will return to the show in a recurring guest mentor role. The launch also revealed the show’s premiere date: Sunday May 6, which puts it against Channel Nine’s ratings hit The Voice and Channel Seven’s Dancing With the Stars. Network Ten’s Chief Programming Officer David Mott promised that MasterChef will return with a “focus on real food, with real people, telling real stories.” And Jamie Oliver!