'It's too early to choose': MasterChef Singapore winner Johnathan Chew might still pursue dentistry career

Striking an item off a personal bucket list must feel satisfying, especially when the item in question is coming up trumps in a competitive cooking reality TV show.

Johnathan Chew, 23, became Singapore's newly-crowned MasterChef after edging out Azwandi 'Andi' Robani and S 'Nares' Narekanna in a three-way finale.

During our chat with Johnathan, he speaks warmly about the amazing support he's received from loved ones throughout his time in MasterChef.

"My friends kept cheering for me over the many Telegram chats during the finale. The moment the winner was announced, I am very certain my phone's battery dropped significantly. There were so many congratulatory messages," he shares.

The third-year dental student is just as grateful to his family. He tells AsiaOne that he watched the finale with his parents at home as he did not want to turn emotional in front of his peers.

"When the results were announced, both my parents and I yelled for joy."

Did you say savoury tang yuan?

Johnathan and 17 other contestants were put through the wringer throughout the season as the three judges — Bjorn Shen, Damian D'Silva and Audra Morrice  — scrutinised their every dish.

When asked which of the three was the most difficult to win over, Johnathan mentions Bjorn simply because of their "different cooking styles and taste preferences".

Even so, Johnathan's spiced masala raspberry pound cake in episode two impressed Bjorn so much that it almost brought the judge to tears.

Who knows, maybe that was some foreshadowing that this talented 23-year-old was going to go far in this competition.

Johnathan progressed round after round and before he knew it, he was in the finale. 

In the last episode, Johnathan served up a savoury tang yuan with mushroom bacon duxelles and mushroom dashi broth.

If you've ever had a taste of tang yuan, you'd know that mushrooms and bacon are not typical ingredients, not that this deterred Johnathan.

In fact, when AsiaOne asks him if the dish might have been a tad too eccentric for a finale, he says he was actually concerned his rendition of the dish was not bold enough.

When conceptualising this appetiser, Johnathan thought about how tang yuan wrappers are essentially blank canvases. This got his creative juices flowing and what he ended up presenting looked mightily impressive.

"With all the hype about mochi these days, I was quite certain my dish would work out in theory. It's literally a chewy mochi-like dumpling with bacon mushrooms and an umami broth. What's not to love?"

All three judges loved the dish, with Bjorn mentioning how the flavours combined well and Audra simply saying how "everything made sense in this dish".

What's on the horizon, career-wise?

As Johnathan savours his sweet MasterChef Singapore victory, he is not closing the door on a career in dentistry just yet.

The National University of Singapore student took a leave of absence (LOA) from school for an entire term to participate in the third season of the show.

Now that he has the trophy in the bag, a common question that's been popping up is whether he has decided on his future career.

However, Johnathan isn't too worried about making a decision as of yet as he's barely dipped his toes into either cooking or dentistry.

"Truthfully, I cannot choose. Choosing suggests I am saying no to one of my passions. I firmly believe you can have more than one passion in life," he says.

He adds: "Who's to say it's not possible I somehow merge both my interests into my future career? Just because something doesn't exist does not mean you cannot try for it."

Winning MasterChef has not only made him realise that he's excellent in the kitchen, but it has also made him more confident that he is able to pursue food within his own capacity.

Having seen the many beautiful dishes he's created throughout the 10 episodes, this can only bode well for his fervent fans. 

While a brick-and-mortar store might not be on the horizon, you can still have a taste of Johnathan's creations via his home-based business Thebatteredboy.

"I am planning to hold a few bake sales in the upcoming months. Beyond that, I have a few collaborations coming up and am always open to more."

Haters gonna hate

Unfortunately, it hasn't all been rosy since his MasterChef triumph. Johnathan has had to endure his fair share of hate from netizens. 

A quick scroll through social media reveals comments from unhappy viewers — many were upset at the result of the finale, with some going as far as to suggest the result was rigged.

"Both Andi and Nares robbed!! Seriously, what's new right?" one Instagram user commented.

Another mentioned how Johnathan's victory was an "undeserved win".

When AsiaOne asks him about how he navigates around the negativity, he provides a simple response.

"I have been so incredibly busy with school and the many opportunities MasterChef Singapore has presented me [that] there really isn't much time to dwell on the unkind comments," he says.

Johnathan claims that the worst comments he sees online are completely untrue but also admits it is beyond his power to control how others see him.

Thus, his mantra is to ask this question aloud — why bother being upset?

As someone who grew up getting bullied, a life lesson he has learnt is the importance of reacting to negative experiences.

"Nothing satisfies me more than proving the naysayers wrong. I realise the bullying never ends. It's how you react to it that matters most."

ALSO READ: 'I just wanted to be on TV': Meet the food delivery rider praised for elevating Malay cuisine on MasterChef Singapore

amierul@asiaone.com