Poh Ling Yeow is an artist, cook, and television personality who is best known for her appearances on MasterChef Australia. Although she is a well-known figure to Australian television viewers, there are many Poh Ling Yeow facts that people do not know. So, what are some interesting facts about Poh Ling Yeow? Here are some Poh Ling Yeow facts you might not know.
Poh Ling Yeow Facts: Her Early and Personal Life
Where Is Peow Ling Yeow From?
Poh Ling Yeow was born in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her family is fifth-generation Malaysian Chinese, and her mother is of Hakka descent.
When Did Yeow Move to Australia?
Yeow’s family moved to Australia when she was nine and settled in Adelaide, South Australia. The artist initially adopted Sharon as her Western name, although she reverted to her Malaysian birth name at 25 to embrace her cultural heritage.
Is Poh Ling Yeow Married?
Poh Ling Yeow is currently single. However, she has been married twice previously. Her first husband was Matt Phipps, although little is known about their marriage or when the relationship ended. She was then married to Jono Bennett from 2014 until they separated in 2021.
Does Poh Ling Yeow Have Children?
No, Poh Ling Yeow does not have any children.
Facts About Poh Ling Yeow and Her Career as an Artist
Yeow Studied Design at University
Yeow earned her Bachelor of Design from the University of South Australia, which led to her working in various creative fields.
She Worked as a Freelance Makeup Artist
After completing her degree, Yeow expressed her creative streak by becoming a freelance graphic designer, illustrator, and makeup artist. Some of her clients as a makeup artist include Attitude magazine, L’Oreal, Megan Gale, Lisa Ho, and the Australian String Quartet. She also worked as the makeup artist for the short film My Last Ten Hours with You.
What Is Poh Ling Yeow’s Artistic Style?
Yeow predominantly works with acrylics. Many of her artworks are inspired by her Chinese heritage. In many of her recent works, she includes a character that Yeow calls The Girl, and the character shares many of Yeow’s physical characteristics.
Yeow’s Exhibitions
Poh Ling Yeow’s first solo exhibition was in 2002 at the Hill Smith Gallery, and she has since become a regular exhibitor at the venue. Her work is also regularly exhibited at the Libby Edwards Gallery. Furthermore, her works have featured in publications such as The Advertiser, mX, House & Garden, and Vogue Australia. Additionally, author Olivia Khoo chose to use Yeow’s artwork on the cover of her book, The Chinese Exotic.
Poh Ling Yeow’s Culinary and Television Careers
She Competed in Beat the Chef
One of the Poh Ling Yeow facts that many people do not know is that MasterChef Australia was not the first television cooking competition in which she competed. She first appeared on television in 2005 when she was a competitor on Beat the Chef. During her first appearance, she made ying-yang prawns with her auntie as her assistant. In her second appearance, Yeow made basil Thai fried rice and brought along her friend Felicity Electricity to assist.
Poh Ling Yeow Was a Runner-Up in MasterChef Australia
Poh Ling Yeow is probably best known for appearing as a competitor in the first season of MasterChef Australia in 2009. It was the first time viewers saw the long-time judges George Calombaris, Matt Preston, and Gary Mehigan on-screen together. She was initially eliminated from the competition after incorrectly guessing the ingredients in a minestrone soup during an elimination challenge. However, she later returned with two other eliminated contestants. Yeow eventually finished second, and Julie Goodwin took the MasterChef Australia title.
She Competed in Back to Win
Yeow returned to MasterChef Australia for Back to Win in 2020. The series brought back some of the winners, runners-up, and viewers’ favourites from previous seasons. Yeow placed sixth in the series. It was the first series to feature Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo as the new MasterChef Australia judges.
Poh Ling Yeow Has Been a Mentor on MasterChef Australia
Yeow returned to MasterChef Australia as a mentor alongside season seven winner Billie McKay and season eight runner-up Matt Sinclair.
Is Poh Ling Yeow a MasterChef Australia Presenter?
Following Jock Zonfrillo’s untimely death in 2023, the show’s producers decided to shake things up a bit. Melissa Leong has moved on to new ventures, and only Andy Allen remains in the cooking competition. Poh Ling Yeow will become a judge on MasterChef Australia in 2024, along with Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli.
She Appeared in the World Chef Showcase
MasterChef Australia is not the only connection between Poh Ling Yeow and food critic Matt Preston, as the pair appeared at the World Chef Showcase together in 2009.
She Has a Cooking Business
In addition to her television cooking, Yeow also has a culinary career off-screen. She opened a gourmet food stall at the Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market called Jamface by Poh. Yeow expanded the business in 2016 when she opened a café of the same name at Adelaide Central Market, although the café closed in 2019.
Yeow Has Presented Two of Her Own Television Series
The first television series hosted by Poh Ling Yeow was Poh’s Kitchen, which was broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The deal included publishing two cookbooks with ABC Books. The series ran for three seasons and involved Yeow travelling extensively around Australia and to countries including Thailand and Singapore. Yeow then presented Poh & Co. in 2015. The series revolved around both cooking and the renovation of Yeow’s backyard.
She Is a Host of Snackmasters
Since 2021, Poh Ling Yeow has been one of the hosts of the Australian version of Snackmasters.
Other Poh Ling Yeow Facts
Yeow Has Appeared in Four Films
One of the Poh Ling Yeow facts that many of her fans do not know is that she has had small roles in four films. Her first film was Human Touch in 2004, followed by Peaches in the same year. She then appeared in Hey, Hey, It’s Esther Blueburger in 2008 and in the 2009 short film Jackie’s Spring Palace.
She Has Appeared in Multiple Television Series
In addition to her appearances in cookery shows, Poh Ling Yeow has also appeared in multiple other television series. These include It’s a Date, Reality Check, Room 101, and Can of Worms.
Yeow Has Taken Part in Various Competition Series
Although she is best known for taking part in the televised cooking competition MasterChef Australia, Poh Ling Yeow has also competed in other series. She was a contestant on the eighth season of the Australian version of I’m a Celebrity…. Get Me Out of Here in 2022. Later in the same year, Yeow was a celebrity contestant on the Lego Masters Australia Christmas special.
Where Does Poh Ling Yeow Live Now?
Since emigrating to Australia as a child, Yeow has remained in South Australia. The Daily Mail says she lives in a beautiful home in Adelaide that boasts an art studio, a meditation room, and vegetable patches.
What Is Poh Ling Yeow’s Favourite Food?
MasterChef Australia viewers saw Yeow cooking a wide range of cuisines, both sweet and savoury. She was often inspired by her Malaysian and Chinese heritage. Some of her favourite dishes to make and eat include cauliflower, kale, and lentil curry, Chinese chicken congee, and Dan Dan noodle dishes.
She Has Posed Nude
One of her jobs as a makeup artist was preparing models for artist David Bromley. Yeow has openly discussed that she once posed nude for the artist. Yeow appeared in a glamour shoot for Who magazine in 2009.
We hope you enjoyed our Poh Ling Yeow facts.