MasterChef Singapore winner lands gig at world’s best restaurant, Mirazur
Engineering student Derek Cheong, who was crowned the winner of MasterChef Singapore, will join the Mirazur pop-up team in Singapore as commis chef.
Derek Cheong is the winner of MasterChef Singapore Season 2. (Photo: Mediacorp)
After nine weeks of intense competition, engineering student Derek Cheong was named the winner of this year’s MasterChef Singapore, which concluded a week ago.
Now, it seems the 24-year-old has scored his big break – he’s joining the Mirazur pop-up team in Singapore as commis chef.
Mirazur, which took the top spot at the World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards in 2019, is holding a pop-up in Singapore at Straits Clan (soon to be rebranded as Mandala Club) from May 14 to Aug 11. Commis chefs typically assist different station chefs in the kitchen, and Cheong joins a team of 12 consisting of Mirazur’s very own chefs and service staff who will be flying to Singapore to deliver the experience.
READ> World's best restaurant Mirazur to open 3-month pop-up in Singapore
At Mirazur, Cheong will “put his chops to the test alongside the world’s very best”, Straits Clan said in a statement on Instagram. “Nothing brings us greater joy than connecting cultures and bringing inspirational people together, and we are proud to have homegrown talents such as Derek joining our team,” the statement read.
Cheong runs his own private dining experience Twelve Flavours, which he started in 2019. Now that he's joining the Mirazur team, Twelve Flavours will go on a hiatus and is no longer accepting reservations.
As winner of MasterChef Singapore, Cheong also took home more than S$100,000 worth of prizes including S$22,000 in cash; a book publishing deal with Marshall Cavendish; more than S$3,000 worth of Nespresso products; household and kitchen appliances; a staycation and spa package from The Fullerton Hotel Singapore; as well as internship opportunities with chefs Damian D’Silva and Bjorn Shen, who judged the competition.
In his Instagram post celebrating his win, Cheong thanked the judges for their feedback and advice. "I will heed (their advice) and also complete my studies! Most importantly, never stop cooking," he wrote.
