Indian-origin Justin Narayan wins MasterChef Australia 13, takes home $250,000

Justin Narayan is the winner of MasterChef Australia Season 13. The 27-year-old youth pastor, who hails from Western Australia, has his roots in India. Justin is the second Indian-origin contestant to win MasterChef Australia.

In 2018, prison guard Sashi Cheliah won the cooking reality show. The 27-year-old Narayan has won $250,000 ( ₹1.86 crore) of prize money, beating out fellow finalists Kishwar Chowdhury and Pete Campbell. Kishwar stood as the second runner-up and took home $20,000 prize money whereas, Pete, the first runner-up, won $30,000

Narayan hails from Western Australia. His Fijian and Indian heritage has influenced his cooking. In his MasterChef Australia 13’s journey, Narayan impressed the judges by cooking some Indian dishes like Indian Chicken Curry, pickle salad, Indian Chicken Tacos, Charcoal Chicken with Toum, and Flatbread.

Justin described MasterChef as ‘100 per cent one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life’. He took to Instagram shortly after his win was announced to encourage others to pursue their dreams. ‘Find people that believe in you. Back yourself. Go hard and hopefully you’ll surprise yourself! Whoever’s reading this I love you,’ he wrote.

Narayan also said, “I just won MasterChef Season 13, 2021. What the actual heck? It’s a surreal feeling. It’s going to take a while to sink in. I’m keen to party with these guys, but a huge thank you to the judges, the other contestants – Pete, Kishwar. Pete in particular. ‘I freaking love you, bro’. This has just been the best experience of my entire life and my mind is blown.”