Diana Chan is an accountant by profession who grew up in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and moved to Melbourne, Australia to pursue her tertiary education at the age of 19.
Diana loved cooking from a very young age and she learnt a lot through both her parents, but it was only when she moved to Melbourne that her interest grew as she discovered the farmers' markets that supplied plenty of fresh and local produce from around Australia.
She developed her own cooking style, which combined some of the hallmarks of her parents' styles - her mother's fresh, herb-driven approach and her father's love of seafood.
Diana decided that after 4 years of being at one of the Top 4 accounting firms, that she wanted to pursue her passion of making a career out of food and went on to compete in MasterChef Australia's 9th season - a decision which has changed her life and cemented her determination to embrace food as much as possible. Diana became the season's champion and has an army of fans who love her style, passion and honesty.
Diana believes in creating wholesome, balanced and delicious meals incorporating fusion flavours and her future plans of opening her food concept is deep in the planning stages.
Current work
Diana is currently working with children through food education via the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program. She is also working with a few nominated charities including Beyond Blue, Oz Harvest and Canteen as much as she can. Her love for travel has been inspirational in her food style and she continues to test and work with new ingredients as much as possible.
Diana's popularity and poise on MasterChef Australia has sparked interest in some fantastic Ambassadorship and Sponsorship roles both in Australia and Malaysia. She is a Delicious Magazine contributor with her first recipe featuring in the November 2017 issue.
As Diana still maintains close ties with Malaysia, she has been offered some great opportunities to promote the food and culture of Malaysia through different campaigns and media forums.
Previous experience
Japan: One of Diana's fondest memories of being on MasterChef Australia was the opportunity to travel to Japan. Working in some of Tokyo's hidden gems and then a Michelin starred restaurant was an amazing experience and learning curve for her.
