BONUS: Jock Zonfrillo's Best Friend Colin Fassnidge Pays Tribute

the fit and whipper with Kate Richie podcast well with Master Chef about to start yesterday Australia well globally uh this news rocked everybody yesterday when we heard the news that jock um Zill Z friller had passed away um and there is a lot of people that are are sending out all their wishes um this morning we wanted to get someone on who is very close to jock uh a good friend of ours as well Colin fnic and we know how busy you are Faz you've just jumped off a flight so appreciate your time B buddy how are you good morning Fez thank you for talking mate not easy to chat at this um this stage uh with the passing so raw and just yesterday afternoon we learned the news um how long had you known jock for mate obviously the chef community's pretty tight M you you don't realize how tight our community is I've known jock for 20 years he worked at a restaurant called restaurant 40 W and I worked at bank you know a guy of an amazing skill um you know I I don't know my phone hasn't stopped I'm pretty sure every Chef I know's phone hasn't stop yeah it's like you don't realize how tight a Hospitality Community is and they they're just rocked to the court or shocked at this uh Fez I want to ask about your industry and it's such a pressure cooker industry and the environment that you're in you you're in the spotlight as well now as well you're a celebrity chef as well the same as jock was does that play on you do you have moments mate where it's really tough for you anxiety plays a role in your life as well and and you you have some dark moments oh look I'm I'm I'm the sort of guy who's pretty glass half full I know jock was had his you know his little worry beads and he he'd spoke about it but i' I've spoke to jock about it before when he left um sort of restaurant land and went into TV Land sometimes it it's seen as H you sort of sold out or you you know what I mean and there was a lot of that went on and I spoke to him about that go M we're doing a job and it is a high pressure job yeah like when when I heard the news yesterday I rang i r swearing i r I rang my and I was like cuz it's like it's like your uh your your work wife or whatever you want to call it of family so much time on the road together and it was a shock and then I sent mail and Andy a message yesterday the master shf team like even our MK team are in Shock because we all work together yeah everyone always say were rivals or whatever but man even the TV team of the two different shows is one big family yeah I think they say those things about people that work in the same industry they're up against each other but in act in actual fact they're your allies they're the only other people who understand the kind of pressures you are under and the scrutiny that you come up against and the way you work and the sleepless nights and all all the hard work and and criticism you kind of you're on the same page like when I did Kitchen Nightmares Jo was one of the first Ono what a great show congratulations I I often ring him at the start of of Master Chef good luck with your show and and flag office waste coats cuz I was the set them on the P to wearing was coat Faz you know what I didn't realize and I I hadn't watched a lot of Master Chef and there I didn't know a hell of a lot about jock and I unfortunately never had the chance to meet him but um you know learning a lot about him overnight and also seeing everyone celebrate the man that he was and also his level of success I didn't realize he was at the top of the top made three HS he was uh in one restaurant of the year ago my traveler his restaurant orer which was all using native and me he was like one one of our best chefs in Australia and not only such a great guy family man who lost a dad he was he was top of the industry as well a huge lost to the industry and and the TV industry it's just the whole world I reckon for chefs yesterday just stood still in the afternoon and was in shock you know it's interesting too because he looked like you know a fun guy a lot of the outpouring yesterday was also a celebration of times where people had been out with him having a couple of drinks and the photos across social media all celebrated him and his personality um so I would suggest the two of you at the bar would have been a great night out F I remember a certain night was in a certain bar in Adela where we were dancing on the bar and but then and then I remember another night where we had a um I think it was a mo Shandon or something uh we both had to do a dish for dys function yeah and he was drinking water and I was on Whiskey so there you go there you go I mean you you come from a tough background yourself we know you've got this tough exterior we've had you on the show you're a good mate of ours but how important is it these days um to talk to friends when when you are going through these dark times well I think yesterday was one of the biggest um OE openers actually like when stuff like this happens I got so many calls from so many people and I was like it's it's it's not me you know what I mean like I'm actually all right y I'm in shock but uh everyone's like are you okay but the chef World sort of does look after the chef World there another one can I ask you as well cuz my my boys were looking at the news last night and asking about it did you talk about it with your daughters did you sit down have you had a conversation yet uh well they just do you know what my I got like Jane gave me a hug which be I got home I had a whiskey mate I had a very large whiskey uh since to the kids yeah that's I don't it's sort of they don't understand je what I mean it's um I don't know um like we're we're we're about to do a shoot today yep and our entire team's in shock and we're we're a different show yeah I bet I bet it's ripped the heart out of the game um you know what your heart Pours and your mind jumps directly to the family and I believe as they're they've been overseas they've been uh away from home and to think you have to travel back to the family home and and it obviously won't be the same but that is a that is a hard hard time for them yeah I I think it was very emotional last night watching his um his young kids on on on the TV like that oh my God that's the worst and you know a lot of a lot of our our life is on the road in hotel rooms you know you're you're not at home you don't see a family so you know I sort of mirror his life a little bit of you're away a lot yep yep I've been home two two two well three days and two weeks yeah that's hard yeah that is hard you think about it we appreciate your time mate we really really do you're you're a good made of ours and Fez you know you know with anything like this and if you have a feeling like that and for anyone out there if you if you're having these feelings at the moment um you need to speak to somebody and the number for Lifeline is 131114 if you know someone who is struggling as well please get on the blower and have a chat to them if you can we appreciate your time F thank you for coming on the show your honesty all right guys we go after yourselves thanks buddy and and the question too as we were talking off air is you know Master Chef what does that look like now um as you mentioned Fitz it was meant to wear last night for the first time they R in the bridge um and do you play it out um well it's it would have to be up to the family wouldn't it I I would say it would have to be up to the family oh yeah I would imagine so cuz then Tommy you said they were considering maybe that there was a re-edit in it because you can't help but watch it and think of well it could could I mean could you play it in the honor of jock I mean that's the way you could look at it but if the family don't want to you have to respect their decision there they're very hard call be very hardore to make I think there's something I'd like to say and I know that we put out the um the number of line and and you fit here saying that people should reach out when they're when they're feeling like this I think that we all need to remember that it's not only now that we need to be making it okay for people to ask for help and that when people do need help that we also need to support them and not criticize them it's a really good really good message I had a mate the other day that called um and he said um he said ah how's your mental health these days and i f my first reaction was was almost I was a bit taken back but then I said well firstly thank you for asking because it's you don't hear it every day and you Kate you're right it should be something that um it's not something we should just be doing today and yes it's okay and you should call this number like it should be okay all of the time and it shouldn't have to get to this point to make it okay to ask for help and there are people out there struggling every day and rather than criticizing them let's make it okay for them to ask for help and to not kind of kind of pile shame onto people for asking for help cuz it's incredibly incredibly Brave 100% beautifully said Kate thank you very much the fit and whipper with Kate Richie podcast