He persuaded teenage boys to taste blue cheese.

Many locals would recognise the Muswellbrook cheesemaker, who along with wife Annie soared to over- night fame as recent contestants on Channel 7’s smash hit series, My Kitchen Rules.

Jason, who was back in Tamworth visiting his old haunt and passing on some of his culinary skills, told The Leader his journey on the hit show started mysteriously.

Unbeknown to him, Annie, a massive fan of the show, had applied to be on the series.

“I got a call from Channel 7 ... we had a couple of audition rounds ... and the next thing you know there’s a camera in my face,” he said.

But he relished the challenge.

“It was a great experience; we learnt a lot,” Jason said.

“I like the pressure. I always enjoyed that side of it.”

He said his culinary skills really began to take off after his family, sixth generation dairy farmers, were forced to sell their milk cows in 2007 due to severe drought and they purchased Hunter Belle Cheese.

“Annie’s a really good cook. I’d say I’m a decent cook and I do enjoy it, but when I started 

selling more cheeses to chefs I got a lot of inspiration,” he said.

When asked who he tipped to win the $250,000, the gregarious TV star remained tight-lipped, saying he knew which teams were in the grand final but would “have to lie” if he was asked who there were.

He said he was hopeful his newfound fame and profile could help educate city consumers about the plight of drought-stricken farmers.

“If we don’t look after our farmers we are going to shoot ourselves in the foot.”