Celebrity chef Shannon Bennett looks hardly recognisable in his latest selfie as he sports a greying isolation beard
Like many men across the country, Shannon Bennett has embraced a more relaxed approach to personal grooming while staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
And on Tuesday, the 44-year-old celebrity chef surprised fans when he shared a rare selfie to Instagram in which he looked barely recognisable.
With short hair and a long, scruffy beard, he hardly resembled the man viewers will be familiar with from his guest judging spots on MasterChef.
Is that you? Celebrity chef Shannon Bennett surprised fans on Tuesday when he shared a rare selfie to Instagram in which he looked hardly recognisable (right). Pictured left: in 2015
The photo showed Shannon holding a freshly baked chocolate cake,
In the caption, he said he was looking for inspiration while developing a menu for his café in Melbourne.
And while several of his followers commented on the delicious treat, the majority of fans couldn’t help but remark on his new look.
‘Murtagh is that you?’ one asked, referring to the scruffy fictional character from TV show Outlander. Another wrote: ‘Liking the facial hair.’
‘Liking the facial hair! While several of his followers commented on the cake he was holding in the photo, the majority of fans couldn’t help but remark on his new look. Pictured last year
The post comes just hours after Shannon hit out at ‘dictatorial’ officials he claims are stifling his redevelopment of a historic mansion into a luxury six-star resort by making unreasonable demands for repairs.
The head chef of Vue de monde and his business partner have already poured millions into transforming the iconic Burnham Beeches mansion in the Dandenong Ranges, 40km east of Melbourne.
They planned to turn the state-listed building – which they took over in 2010 – into a hotel with a microbrewery, shop and new restaurant.
Shannon with his former partner Madeleine West. Bennett recently hit out at what he called ‘dictatorial’ heritage bureaucrats who he claims are stifling his redevelopment of a historic mansion near Melbourne
Shannon was given approval to transform the property in 2018 but now claims a deal with a leading high-end hotel chain could be under threat after Heritage Victoria demanded he complete a series of minor but costly alterations to the property.
He said the project would bring jobs to the area at a time when Victoria has been brought to its knees financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Victoria is currently at its lowest morale ever. This is a vision that we are determined to make a reality,’ he told the Herald Sun.
Plans for the state-listed Art Moderne building constructed in 1933 include a microbrewery, a shop and a new restaurant – but Bennett fears Heritage Victoria’s demands for repairs are putting the project in jeopardy