After many months of mouth-watering main courses and flambéd French patisserie, the MasterChef Australia competition has officially drawn to a close for 2024.
Entering the kitchen from all corners of the country, the 22 contestants cooked their way through some of the franchise’s most painstakingly meticulous challenges. While many left their mark on the judge’s palette, 28-year-old barista Nat Thaipun and 43-year-old butcher Josh Perry rose to the top of the competition, competing head to head in the final two rounds of the MasterChef competition.
While both contestants plated exceptional flavours throughout the finale, only one could take home the $250,000 grand prize, with Nat being crowned the winner of MasterChef Australia 2024.
Donning their aprons for the final time, Nat and Josh began their final day in the kitchen with a complex ingredient challenge, with the amateur chefs tasked with incorporating black peppercorns as their star ingredient.
After receiving a near-perfect score for her Thai-inspired scotch egg, Nat headed into the final challenge three points ahead, however, Josh’s determination left him hungrier than ever to plate the perfect dish.
Heading into their last-ever pressure test, Nat and Josh were tasked with recreating chef Clare Smyth’s Michelin-star take on a Malteaser. While she may have mastered her first-round dish, Nat struggled with a handful of elements in Clare’s recipe, leaving her trailing slightly behind Josh at the halfway point of the challenge.
Despite her setbacks, Nat was able to plate all elements of the towering Malteaser-inspired dessert, with her final cook crowning her the winner of MasterChef Australia 2024.
Reacting to her win, Nat said, “I feel so good. This is… This is crazy. It feels like a dream but it’s not!”
While the $250,000 win came as no surprise to the contestants, Nat also received an added bonus prize, with her MasterChef Australia 2024 win also crowning her as resident chef of Alumni Restuarant in Crown Melbourne.
“Nat, congratulations. We are beyond proud of you. It’s finally time. The moment you’ve been dreaming of. Go collect your trophy, girl!” said judge Poh Ling Yeow.
Congratulations to Nat!
