Rob and Liam Watts missed out by a whisker on getting into the finals of My Kitchen Rules, which would have made their mum, Terri, very proud. Rob says, “Our mum is a really great cook, so growing up, we didn’t have a choice. Whatever she did, it flowed out onto us. We still call her every day for tips and tricks. Our mum was an awesome teacher.
I’m in love with cooking. Rob and I are the cooks in our households and I think it’s a great skill to have and to bring into your home. It’s also so social, and I think that’s another reason why we love cooking and the barbeque. We can go outside with the kids, crank the coals up and cook some really nice meals whilst hanging out with the family and enjoying a few vinos.”
Rob and Liam live around the corner from Martha’s Table in Safety Beach, where they cooked a special dinner of their MKR recipes. Diners enjoyed Safety Beach Cajun Mussels sustainably resourced right out the front of where they live, and steak with beetroot and watermelon salad.
“We’re trying to show off our great local produce,” Liam says. “Rob here’s the meat guy. Then, for dessert, we finished off with our famous mango and gin pannacotta.” When asked what Liam’s favourite protein is, he laughs. “Steak, but my favourite protein is when Rob’s cooking it.” Rob chuckles. “I trained him well.”
Rob and Liam are the best of mates, as are their partners Renee and Charlie (respectively). They’re looking forward to seeing their children grow up together as cousins. Rob and Renee have Coco (three) and Billy (eleven months), and Liam and Charlie have four-year-old Jesse and three-year-old Ruby. Coco and Ruby go to the same preschool.
Do they ever argue?
Rob says, “Liam and I are super competitive brothers and super close in age with only 22 months between us; everything’s been a competition for us our whole lives growing up. So I think it’s formed an amazing bond between us. As much as we love competing, we’re also best friends, and I think that’s why we really worked on the show and in the kitchen. We know what each other is doing, and we just get it done.”
Liam chimes in: “We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so when we work in the kitchen it’s seamless, especially when we were in kitchen headquarters; that was probably the easiest time for us but stressful for everyone else. Our time management and how we worked in our kitchen was very easy. We knew what we were doing. We were perfect teammates.
How did their families feel about them going on MKR?
“When the idea to go on MKR first came up, our family fully supported us because they could see how much cooking we’ve done, and they said, ‘Yeah, boys, go for it.’ There was a lot of time involved in the show that we didn’t know, but they said, ‘Go boys, get out there and get it done for us. Make the peninsula proud. Being local, it’s what we’re about.”
Rob has a commercial concrete company, and Liam, who’s been in hospitality most of his life, owns the Deadwood Dromana bar and café. His experience making cocktails meant they could do the pannacotta in double quick time, giving them an edge over their competitors for that round.
Liam says, “I’ve always wanted to do something down here on the peninsula where we were born and bred. After spending a few years overseas and living in the city, two years ago, we opened Deadwood Dromana, and it’s been a great success.”
It was named Best Regional Bar in Australia a couple of months ago. “I can’t open a bar because I spend all my money in Liam’s,” Rob jokes.
Obviously, it is a competition. There are a hundred thousand dollars on the line, so tempers can flare, and people can get a bit heated.
MKR became quite heated towards the end of Rob and Liam’s time, with some aggressive competitiveness and a bit of rancour. How did the boys cope with that?
Rob says: “Obviously, it is a competition. There are a hundred thousand dollars on the line, so tempers can flare, and people can get a bit heated. But at the end of the day, we are all friends off camera. You stick to your values, and that’s what we did.”
Liam continues, “We always scored fairly through the whole show. We always did exactly what we wanted to do. We wanted to compete, and we wanted to cook against the best.”
Rob says with a laugh, “Shame we left so early.” “Missing out on the semi-finals and grand final was really tough,” Liam says, “because we really do think we cooked amazing food. The money wasn’t it; we just wanted the title MKR. We’re so proud. I’m super proud of my brother. I love working with him. It was the best experience of my lifetime to hang out with my best mate, my brother. We got to travel the country, and we got to cook some amazing food,”.
Rob says being away from the children was the hardest thing. “When we decided we couldn’t do the show without their support, we were going to win! If you’re going to be away for three months then bring it home! That was the hardest thing to come back to, but they’re so proud.”
Would they do it all over again?
“With a different teammate, I’d do it over again,” Liam jokes, “A hundred percent. We made some of the best friends. It was a unique experience, and some of the competitors on the show were amazing. We’ll be friends for life. We talk every day.”
“I’d do it all over again,” says Rob. “A hundred percent.”
