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The eldest daughter of celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo has broken her silence over her father’s death with a heartbreaking tribute to chef.
Ava Zonfrillo, 22, shared a poignant memory of her father three weeks after his passing on Sunday.
“Still can’t accept that we’ll remember you longer than we had you, but that doesn’t mean we’ll love you any less,” Ava wrote under an Instagram post of hers when she was a toddler with Jock. .
“I love your father, always.”
Ava is the daughter of Jock and first wife Amanda Ewing. Ava initially followed her father’s footsteps in the culinary world and worked as a public relations in the hospitality industry.
She now works in fashion for communications agency AMPR.
The 22-year-old graduated from the University of Technology Sydney in 2019 and has been living in Sydney’s Bondi Beach since 2021.
Ava’s tribute comes a week after Jock was buried in a private funeral in Sydney surrounded by 200 family and friends.
Ava (pictured), now 22, is the eldest of Jock’s four children. She shared a poignant tribute on Sunday night — including this photo of her as a child with her dad
Ava has previously worked in hospitality publicity (above with Jock)
Patrons included his wife Lauren and co-host Andy Allen and attendees included a Who’s Who of the Australian culinary scene.
Daily Mail Australia revealed that police believe Zonfrillo died of natural causes, while the coroner is yet to determine his final cause of death.
On Sunday, April 30, Zonfrillo was booked into downtown Melbourne’s Zagame’s House above a wine bar in Lygon Street, Carlton. He faced a big week full of media obligations.
He had only recently returned to Australia from Italy after moving there with his third wife Lauren and their children, five-year-old Alfie and two-year-old Isla, and chose the hotel because of its proximity to where the family used to live.
While the rest of his family stayed in Rome, the 46-year-old prepared to promote the latest episode of MasterChef, which was set to premiere the following night at 7:30 p.m.
There was a packed schedule of media appearances across television, radio and print media, supported by a relentless swirl of social media posts across all major platforms.
The theme for the 15th season of Network Ten’s flagship show was ‘Secrets and Surprises’ – and the publicity grind was about to really get going.
There was a packed schedule of media appearances across television, radio and print media, supported by a relentless swirl of social media posts across all major platforms.
It would all culminate in a grueling blitz, starting with an interview at 7 p.m. on Monday ahead of that night’s glittering premiere.
Zonfrillo had been hosting for three seasons and was well aware of the demands of filming more than 60 episodes of the show a year.
He had long ago shrugged off his troubled childhood as a heroin-addicted teen to reinvent himself as a world-renowned chef and natural TV star on MasterChef.
But Zonfrillo still battled demons and always carried worry beads to help him deal with his anxiety and sometimes fragile mental health.
Fellow MasterChef judge Andy Allen is pictured holding Zonfrillo’s coffin, which was covered with the Royal Banner of Scotland and decorated with white orchids
What the public didn’t know was that Zonfrillo had been suffering from serious health issues in recent years, including a diagnosis of colon cancer.
How Zonfrillo spent Sunday afternoon and evening is unclear, but that evening he uploaded what would be his final Instagram post.
It’s time for @masterchefau to kick off another season of Secrets & Surprises! And @jamieoliver of course!’ he wrote in the caption.
Some time later, Zonfrillo responded to a fan in the comments section with what is believed to be his last public interaction on social media.
One of his followers commented on how much their son enjoyed watching Zonfrillo on MasterChef and often made impressions of his thick Glasgow accent.
“Very exciting… (my son yells “Joooooock” every time you appear in the ad!!!! He’s even practicing his Scottish accent!!!)” they wrote.
Zonfrillo responded to this comment with a crying smile emoji.
The 97-bedroom hotel’s web page on Booking.com promises visitors, “Get the celebrity treatment with world-class service at Zagame’s House.” A room is pictured
The Scottish chef posted this message on Sunday night to promote the cooking show, which was due to launch on Monday at 7:30pm but will now air on Sunday nights with the approval of his family
It’s time for @masterchefau to kick off another season of Secrets & Surprises! And @jamieoliver of course!’ Zonfrillo captioned his latest Instagram post
The 97-bedroom hotel’s web page on Booking.com promises visitors, “Get the celebrity treatment with world-class service at Zagame’s House.”
The elegantly stylish yet compact rooms – from $259 for a standard room to $685 for one of the Nero Suites – offer a 24-hour front desk with a gym and a stylish wine bar on the ground floor.
The website adds: ‘All of our team members are trained to ensure that your health, safety and comfort are our number one priority while you stay in our home.’
Daily Mail Australia understands Zonfrillo and his wife had a daily routine of scheduled communications and he did not call on Sunday evening.
Unable to reach her husband, Lauren called Victoria Police, who dispatched officers to Zagame’s House at around 2:00 am to check on his well-being.
Police let into Zonfrillo’s room found him dead in his bed and saw no signs of anything unusual or suspicious.
No drug paraphernalia had been found, no one else in the room, and police believed Zonfrillo had died of natural causes.
Ava Zonfrillo breaks her silence over MasterChef judge Jock’s death