'We weren't allowed in the kitchen when we were growing up': MasterChef judge George Calombaris admits his mother banned him from cooking in her 'domain' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3676788/We-weren-t-aloud-kitchen-growing-MasterChef-judge-George-Calombaris-admits-mother-banned-cooking-domain.html#ixzz4DdDBZagG Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

His empire spans from pubs, fine dining restaurants and a judging role on the popular Channel Ten TV series, MasterChef.

Yet George Calombaris was banned from setting foot in the kitchen when he was a young boy because it was the 'domain of his mother, aunts and grandmother'.

Despite the kitchen being off limits, the 37-year-old celebrity chef told the Daily Mail Australia his passion for hospitality stemmed from how his relatives used food to bring visitors closer together.

We weren't allowed in the kitchen when we were growing up': MasterChef judge George Calombaris admitted to the Daily Mail Australia his mother banned him from cooking while she was in her 'domain'

'I think that's what I was taught - the spirit, the power and the influence that food has on people and that's the bit that I love and I love so much,' George said ahead of an exclusive lunch at the Press Club, in Melbourne, on Tuesday, to celebrate the DVD release of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.

This understanding of how food is more than just a staple in the diet has helped the chef grow his business to include 12 highly successful Calombaris-owned Greek restaurants.

Most recently he opened a pub called Hellenic Hotel in Williamstown in New Zealand.

Despite juggling various restaurants and TV commitments, the father-of-two has no plans of slowing down in the near future.

'Sydney is next and we will open towards the end of the year and that will be called Electra based on the Greek Goddess of light,' George said.

'My ideas for that place are pretty exciting in terms of influencing the incredible Hellenic cuisine with a lot of Japanese flavour.

'I believe that the most livable people on Earth come from there and from Greece. They have a lot of similarities and so fusing the two together from a beverage point of view and a food point of view which is exciting and challenging.'