MasterChef season two winner Adam Liaw led the charge in criticising Zonfrillo's comments, as other food fans weighed in to debate the Euro-centric concept of fine dining.
Zonfrillo's comments come in a season praised by MasterChef fans for its significant representation of Asian Australians.
New judge Melissa Leong herself celebrated an immunity challenge in an episode earlier this month that saw all five cooks – Reynold Poernomo, Jess Liemantara, Poh Ling Yeow, Khanh Ong and Brendan Pang – hailing from Asian backgrounds.
She shared a picture of the contestants on her Instagram, calling it "ground breaking".
"Not only did these tremendous humans create the five best dishes yesterday (we judge dishes, not people), but I could never conceive of witnessing a moment like this on prime time television in my lifetime. Thank you Channel 10," she said.
"Diversity and representation does not come at the detriment of others, it is to the inclusivity of us all.
"I am proud to be Australian. To be part of a nation whose identity is indigenous and multicultural, we are richer because of ancient and recent.
"To every person who never felt seen, this is for you, may it give you hope. To every person who is yet to feel seen, you are valued and your moment is on its way. We rise together."
And sadly, Ong was booted from the competition last night after the judges felt his traditional Vietnamese dish of Ga Kho Gung "lacked finesse" and the cooking of his quail was "less than perfect".
After being told he would be leaving the show, Khanh broke down in tears before delivering a powerful farewell message.
