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‘I'm a sucker for any pub': MasterChef winner Nat Thaipun's go-to spots to eat and drink

‘I'm a sucker for any pub': MasterChef winner Nat Thaipun's go-to spots to eat and drink

The Age5 days ago
It's been a whirlwind 12 months for Nat Thaipun since her MasterChef Australia 2024 win. Since then, she has hosted 22 dining pop-ups around Australia, Seoul and Hong Kong, developed a YouTube docuseries chronicling her culinary travels in South Korea and Hobart, and in October will release her debut cookbook, Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere.
When she's not globetrotting, Thaipun picks up shifts cooking at Melbourne's three-hatted Vue de Monde, as you do.
Yes, it's been a rapid rise for the former environmental science student and barista, who still lives in an inner-city Melbourne share house and now counts Jamie Oliver as a friend, but cooking has always been in her veins. Her parents ran popular Sunbury restaurant Thai Hut, until it closed in 2019 after 30 years.
It was her experience at The Zin House, Mudgee's biodynamic farm and restaurant, that spurred Thaipun to accept a spot on MasterChef. The restaurant's commitment to organic practices also prompted her to return to Thailand for a deeper exploration of her culinary heritage before filming began.
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