Johnathan Chew (Masterchef Singapore)

Johnathan Chew is a student best known for coming out as the winner of Masterchef Singapore’s third season. He is currently pursuing Dentistry at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Johnathan Chew
Education	National University of Singapore (2020 to Present), Victoria Junior College (2016-2017)

As of July 2022, his Instagram account has amassed nearly 4,000 followers.

Background

Personal life & education

As of July 2022, Johnathan Chew is currently a Year 2 Dental student at NUS. He took a Leave of Absence to participate in the third season of Masterchef Singapore. Prior to his studies at NUS, he had been a student at Victoria Junior College.

Born in 1999, Johnathan has a brother, Chew Wee Meng and mother, Josline.

Career

The Battered Boy’s Pineapple Tarts. Photos from Instagram.

The Battered Boy (2018 - Present)

The Battered Boy is not only a culinary Instagram account, but also a home baking business run by Johnathan Chew. With a dream to start a cafe with his mother and to write a cookbook of his own some day, he began sharing his very own recipes and unique takes on local cuisines. From sweet pastries to main courses with exquisite plating, Johnathan makes use of the online platform to share his passion for cooking and baking.

He has also organised bake sales during the Chinese New Year period, selling his own rendition of local treats like cranberry-pineapple tarts.

As of July 2022, the account has amassed 1,791 followers.

Masterchef Singapore Season 3 (2022)

Johnathan Chew participated in the third season of Masterchef Singapore, where he received the nickname “One-Trick Pastry Pony” for his strengths in preparing desserts as compared to more savoury dishes.

Jonathan Chew sports his white Masterchef apron. Photo from Instagram.

Receiving the iconic white Masterchef apron, Episode 1 (1 May 2022)

Johnathan’s dish was one that caught the judges attention and he was the first to be called forth to present his dish. He easily impressed the judges with his Teochew Fish Soup (with Ponzu Cauliflower Steak and Pickled Onion), and they praised him for the great balance of flavours that he managed to achieve in a short period of time. He was one of the first among the other 11 contestants to receive the famed white Masterchef apron.

Making it to the Semi-finals, Episode 9 (26 June 2022)

Johnathan competed alongside the three remaining contestants in the Restaurant Takeover challenge, where they were judged based on their dinner service at the JAAN by Kirk Westaway. At this two Michelin-star restaurant, they had to serve 20 customers.

Each contestant was challenged to recreate one of chef Westaway’s courses for the dinner and Johnathan put in charge of dessert - Chestnut Sandwich with Black Truffle Ice Cream. As pastries and dessert were his strong suit, Johnathan was confident and braved through the challenge. While his dessert was praised for its flavours, the judges were disappointed with the undercooked puff pastry, which set him up for elimination.

He managed to escape elimination and make it to the competition’s Final round, impressing the judges with a venison dish he named, “One Hundred”.

Johnathan’s dishes for the season finale. Photos from Mediacorp.

Winning Masterchef Singapore Season 3, Episode 10 (3 July 2022)

In the final episode of Masterchef Singapore Season 3, Johnathan Chew was up against S Nareskanna and Azwandi Robani in a three-course-meal challenge. All 3 contestants successfully passed the Appetiser round, with Johnathan presenting a Savoury Tang Yuan (with Mushroom Bacon Duxelles and Mushroom Dashi Broth.

For the main course, Johnathan prepared a Seared Grouper (with Lemongrass Beurre Blanc, Charred Kailan, Pickled Kumquat and Lemongrass Crisps), which easily earned him a spot in the final round of the Finale. This dish was highly praised by the judges for its “sophistication”, “perfect”, and for being “superbly well-done”.

Johnathan Chew wins Masterchef Singapore Season 3. Photo from Instagram.

For the Desert round, Johnathan beat out Nareskanna with his Lemongrass Meringue Tart (with Kumquat Compote), coming out on top as the Winner of Masterchef Singapore Season 3.

Along with his new title, Johnathan also got to take home the following prizes:

• $17,000 in cash
• A book publishing deal with Marshall Cavendish
• Over $3,000 worth of Nespresso products
• Kitchen appliances from KitchenAid, Global Knives, and Thermomix
• An internship with Chef Gaggan Anand’s culinary team
• A Fullerton Hotel staycation and spa package

Media Coverage

The Top 3 Finalists of Masterchef Singapore on You Got Watch. Photo adapted from YouTube.

You Got Watch (28 June 2022)

Johnathan featured on the YouTube channel, You Got Watch’s Assumptions About Me! Series. Along with the other Top 3 finalists of Masterchef Singapore Season 3, Johnathan shares more about what went down behind the scenes of the competition, as well as debunk assumptions about the show and his craft.

CNA (5 July 2022)

In an interview with local news outlet CNA, Johnathan Chew shared that he plans to juggle both his Dentistry studies and his culinary passions.

“I definitely see cooking as part of my future. I feel that you can have more than one passion in life and right now, I don’t see myself picking one over the other.” - Johnathan Chew on his love for both science and cooking.

TheSmartLocal Media Group (6 July 2022)

Johnathan’s Pokémon illustrations. Photo from Instagram.

Johnathan Chew sat down for an interview with TheSmartLocal, where he shared about his biggest takeaways from the Masterchef competition and his journey as a self-taught chef.

He mentioned that his grandma’s cooking made him gravitate towards the kitchen at home and he was never restricted from being involved in the space. His interest in cooking and baking only grew from there. Johnathan also spoke of how he took inspiration from different aspects of the F&B industry, including local hawkers and now, professional chefs like those that mentored him during the competition.

Besides cooking, he also shared that his hobbies include swimming and drawing. Johnathan often adds his own touch to photos of his travels overseas, by drawing some illustrations of Pokémon and Disney on them.