THE MAKINGS OF A MASTER

Winning season 13 of MasterChef Australia has made Chef Justin Narayan a household name. The former youth pastor delves into his culinary inspirations and spills the tea on his future plans.

Until April this year, Justin Narayan was a youth pastor in Australia—not the kind of job in which you make headlines. By mid-July, however, he had acquired global fame and a dedicated fan base around the world—all by winning one of the most popular reality-TV shows: MasterChef Australia.

Clinching the coveted title in Season 13, Narayan served a platter of global flavours on screen, dishing out Mexican, Taiwanese, Malaysian, Indian, and fusion recipes with equal flair. The chef, who has Fijian and Indian heritage, refuses to be limited by geography. “With access to YouTube, TV, and social media, you can get influenced by different places by simply being online,” he says. His trip to India in 2017 was a big influence, too. He says he wants to learn making crisp and thin dosas, and chicken pulao the way his mother cooks it.

Excellent cooking aside, Narayan’s quick wit and calm demeanour has earned him a huge legion of fans. It was no surprise that the 27-yearold chef—the eldest among three siblings—got along so well with the other contestants. “We had a lot of fun dinners, a lot of practice and reading, and [watching] movies. Football was on a lot, which we really enjoyed—or I did anyway!” There’s nothing he would go back and change from the show, except maybe “exercising more.” “I gained a lot of weight during the show. But, I was practising a lot and had to eat a lot of food—it wasn’t my fault! I simply sacrificed myself,” Narayan jokes.

Life after the show has been a whirlwind. He’s riding the waves of stardom and basking in the afterglow of his recent marriage to Esther Smoothy Narayan. In the kitchen, Narayan has been experimenting with different cuisines and mediums. “I’ll be making some content, showcasing the food that I love to eat and cook and also the incredible places we have here in WA (Western Australia). I’ll get some experience in the kitchen and work towards opening up a restaurant one day.”

The key, according to him, is to cook from the heart, avoid fitting oneself into moulds, and learning the basics. “Once you have that, you have a strong foundation to create the food that represents you. Just go for it and don’t be afraid!” Narayan signs off. We can’t wait to see what he whips up next.

Favourite dish to cook: Chicken curry Favourite cuisines: Mexican and Indian Bucket-list destinations: Mexico, Portugal, and Denmark for food; South America and Antarctica otherwise