Poh Ling Yeow blooms in full creativity from Adelaide as television cook on 'MasterChef' etc, artist and actor
Poh Ling Yeow in the ABC television series Poh's Kitchen, made in Adelaide, and another side of her talents – as an artist – with Memory (at right) part of the recurring theme of The Girl in her paintings.
Images courtesy ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and Poh Ling Yeow
Poh Ling Yeow showcased her full creativity, first nurtured in Adelaide,beyond becoming a fixture on Australian television, including MasterChef Australia, for her cullinary knowledge and talents.
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1973 into a fifth-generation Malayasian Chinese family, Yeow attended SMK Convent Bukit Nanas before immigrating at nine with her parents and brother to Australia and eventually to the South Austraian capital city Adelaide.
After attending Seymour College and the University of South Australia to complete a bachelor of design degree,Yeow worked as a freelance graphic designer, illustrator and makeup artist. Yeow's corporate clients as a makeup artist included L’Oréal and Attitude magazine, the Australian String Quartet and and the short film My Last Ten Hours With You. Personal clients included Megal Gale and Lisa Ho. Freelance makeup work led to her preparing models for artist David Bromley, increasing her knowledge of the art market.
Yeow adopted the Western name Sharon until age 25 when she reverted to Poh Ling. She became a full-time professional artist in 2002. Chinese elements in her work, included the goldfish, a symbol of prosperity and good luck in Chinese culture, lotus flowers, ponds, and Australian flora and fauna. A recurring character in Yeow's later work was The Girl ("my autobiographical twin"). From her first solo exhibition in 2002, Yeow was a regular exhibitor at the Hill Smith Gallery and Libby Edwards Gallery. In 2007, Yeow's artwork was used on the cover of the book The Chinese Exotic by Olivia Khoo.] She was also a judge for Youthscape 2008.
Yeow first appeared on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) television show Beat the Chef in 2005. Yeow was selected from more than 7,000 as one of the top 20 contestants for the MasterChef Australia first series. She was one of three eliminated contestants allowed to return and survived to compete in 2009 against Julie Goodwin and finish runnerup. Yeow appeared with Matt Preston in the World Chef Showcase that year.
Along with a two-book publishing deal, Yeow signed with ABC for Poh’s Kitchen cooking series, produced in Adelaide and aired in 2010, and followed by Poh's Kitchen on the Road in 2011, visiting all Australian states, plus Singapore and Thailand, to film stories on produce and cooking. In 2015, Yeow launched Poh & Co. on SBS (Special Brodcasting Service) television, featuring different styles of cooking and the renovating of Yeow's backyard.
Yeow opened a gourmet food stall, Jamface by Poh, at the Adelaide Showground farmers' market and café with that name at Adelaide Central Market from 2016 to 2019. Yeow returned to MasterChef Australia as a mentor (2019), contestant (2020) and host and judge (2023). In 2023, Yiew teamed with MasterChef winner Adam Liaw (also Malaysian-born and from Adelaide) to host SBS’sAdam & Poh's Great Australian Bites.
Another side of Yeow’s creativity was film roles in Human Touch (2004), Peaches (2004), Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger (2008) and Tropfest short film Jackie's Spring Palace (2009), also credited as its production designer. Liew’s multiple televvsiion appearances have included large roles in Room 101, Can of Worms and Reality Check. She appeared in the 2013 ABC comedy series It’s a Date with Dave Dawson.
