MasterChef Australia judges George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan reunite for special project

Former MasterChef Australia judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston reunited on Sunday to support a very worthy cause.

The veteran TV judges took over the kitchen at Hotel Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula for the Friends of George event to raise funds for Bowel Cancer Australia.

The three former reality stars agreed to reunite for the cause, in support of George’s late father Jim, who died of the disease in November. 

George, 45, admitted that he felt an instant connection with his former colleagues upon reuniting with them. 

‘It’s really nice, it’s like riding a bike with these guys. We have some great memories together,’ he told the Herald Sun.

The veteran TV judges took over the kitchen at Hotel Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula for the Friends of George event to raise funds for Bowel Cancer Australia

‘The old cliché of being like family is true. George’s dad was a big part of our family, the whole thing is a community,’ Preston added.

The event was hosted by Eddie McGuire and photos to shared to social media captured the three judges having the time of the lives as they worked up a storm in the kitchen.

Another heartfelt picture captured the trio posing up a storm with McGuire, outside the ritzy hotel.

Earlier this month, it was reported the trio saw their international careers take off as they made a television comeback.

The TV personalities, who rose to fame as the original judges on Channel Ten’s hit cooking show, have ‘developed a huge fan base in India,’ the Herald Sun reports. 

The judges have hosted dinners and masterclasses in three cities in the region which were a huge success, as well as filming two episodes of TV series Ultimate Homechef of India.

The three former reality stars agreed to reunite for the cause, in support of George’s late father Jim, who died of the disease in November

The event was hosted by Eddie McGuire (right) and photos to shared to social media captured the three judges having the time of the lives as they worked up a storm in the kitchen

Billboards picturing the Mehigan, Calomaris and Preston were even erected around India after their final MasterChef season in 2019.

Mehigan’s manager Justine May told the publication that the three will return to India in August. 

The trio hosted the hit cooking show for a decade, from 2009 to 2019.

However, in July 2019 Channel 10 announced that the three judges would not be returning for season 12 of the series – they were later replaced by Andy Allen, Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong.