
Youth Pastor Justin Narayan Wins Masterchef Australia 2021
16 July 2021
West Australian-based youth pastor, Justin Narayan has been crowned Masterchef Australia 2021!
After a two-day grand finale whopper, Justin beat out two other worthy competitors (Pete & Kishwar), even receiving perfect scores for two of his dishes in the finale, to secure the title and take home the $250,000 (AUD) grand prize.
"Captain Consistency" (as he was affectionately known to the judges and other contestants) endeared himself to audiences with his steady pace and calm demeanour throughout the season. His humour was also a breath of fresh air for a season that ran during the pandemic.
In an interview with Hope 103.2's Breakfast Show on the morning after his win, Justin shared how much his faith impacted his time at Masterchef.
"Just knowing that God’s in control of whatever happens… Being able to trust Him with what’s in front of me – He’s got a plan for it all. That takes a lot of the stress off yourself, and you want to do what is best with what you have in your hands," he told Hope Breakfast.
I, personally, thought Justin looked familiar when watching the series until I googled him and realised I had actually seen him before in-person - my dad and I were thoroughly entertained by him when we attended the Hillsong Conferences in 2014 & 2015 in Sydney.
Justin had played a comedic character/altar-ego on stage named "Butter Chicken" at Hillsong Conference pre & post-show parties.
Now the question Justin has been asked the most is what's in store next. He told Hope 103.2:
“For me, I think life and youth pastoring and doing something in food has always been about helping people and serving them, so it would be awesome to be able to do something in the food space – that connects with people, and hopefully one day open up a space of my own.”
We can't wait to see what God has in store for this youth pastor-Masterchef! Watch Justin's winning moment below: