Who is Sofia Levin?
Sofia Levin is a Melbourne-based food and travel journalist best known for her blog and newsletter, The Seasoned Traveller. Through her #EatCuriously movement on social media, she explores and celebrates cultural diversity through food. In 2025, the writer, judge, and traveller was nominated for a Silver Logue for Most Popular New Talent.
With over 15 years of experience in the industry, Sofia’s commentary has appeared in publications across the globe, including The Guardian, Lonely Planet, National Geographic, and SBS Food. She has also recently become an ambassador and fundraiser for the charity MND Victoria, an organisation providing direct care and support to Victorians with MND (motor neurone disease) and their carers.
What Drives Sofia Levin’s #EatCuriously Movement?
In an interview released by The Sydney Morning Herald on April 12, Sofia Levin opens up about what drives her #EatCuriously movement. “Food is a window into things that are really important, and it can be extremely political,” she says. “Anyone who says food is not political or tells me to ‘stick to food and not politics’ while writing about it is privileged beyond their means to be able to say something like that.”
“Food is all about politics. The evolution of a dish – that’s a historical timeline for everything. It’s slavery, it’s immigration, it’s the wealth divide, it’s everything.”
When Sofia isn’t on MasterChef Australia, her attention is on her website and food blog, Seasoned Traveller. This blog is where she encourages readers to eat and try new foods with curiosity and care. In this interview, Sofia opened up about how she seeks out certain venues, festivals, and food celebrations that fall under the radar of mainstream attention, revealing that census data, demographic shifts in suburbs, and emerging venues are how she strikes gold.
Sofia Levin’s Fundraising Efforts
Recently, Sofia Levin has been very active in the fundraising space, harnessing her ever-growing community, hospitality network, and Logie connections to raise awareness and money for health issues she cares about. During this year’s Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Sofia transformed Wesley Place in Melbourne into an open-air food festival one day, and an intimate dinner and high-stakes auction the next evening.
In April, 2026, Sofia posted about the success of her fundraising during this event, revealing that both events were to raise money for people living with motor neurone disease and their carers. In the post, she thanked “the generosity of [her] beautiful community” and celebrated how they “raised $65,059 for people living with motor neurone disease and their carers.”
“I am still riding the high from transforming Wesley Place in the CBD to Caregiver’s Place,” she wrote. “We ran a mini food truck festival in the sunshine on Sunday, and put on what will easily be my favourite dinner of the year in the old School House on Monday. It’s been 10 days and people are still texting and emailing me about it!”
In 2022, her father, Greg, was diagnosed with MND. Ever since this diagnosis, Sofia began her fundraising efforts, opening with a series of dinners centered around a gallery exhibition of her dad’s photographs.
When Did Sofia Levin Join MasterChef Australia?
Sofia Levin was announced as a judge for MasterChef Australia in 2023, making her debut on the hit cooking show in 2024. Speaking ahead of her MasterChef debut in 2024, Sofia wrote to her newsletter, “of course it’s nerve-racking, but I’m taking MasterChef as a Master Responsibility.”
“Everyone has varying comfort zones and levels of open-mindedness, and I’ve always believed the best versions of people emerge when we expand them. What better place to teach, learn, and grow than on the world’s most popular reality cooking show.”
Since joining the show, Sofia Levin has become a beloved addition to the series, continuing the successful legacy of the judges before her.
How to Watch MasterChef Australia?
MasterChef Australia 2026 will be available to watch on Channel 10 and 10 Play. As we wait for April to roll around, you can watch all the previous seasons of MasterChef Australia on 10 Play.
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