GARY Mehigan has looked into his culinary crystal ball and predicts there will be an explosion of young chef prodigies who will remember the “three middle-aged fat guys” when they begin their careers in the food industry.

The MasterChef judge and chef extraordinaire was referring to himself and his colleagues.

Mr Mehigan was joined on the aptly named MasterChef Phenomenon forum at the eighth annual Audi Noosa Food and Wine Festival by Matt Preston and Matt Moran.

Perfect Noosa weather was enough to sharpen any appetite and the large crowds could not get enough of the rich festival offerings.

The trio had fans in stitches as they described the vast difference between what we see on TV and what the cast and crew go through.

Event manager Colleen Sheffield said there had been a dramatic demographic shift in the people attending the festival this year.

“Normally this is an over-55’s event but this year we are seeing a lot more young people and young families coming along,” she said.