Who are the 12 former “MasterChef” contestants who opened their own restaurants

O reality show MasterChef It’s an audience hit. But not everyone who watches the show keeps track of what the contestants do after they end their TV appearances. Many continue to invest in the kitchen and get their hands dirty in their gastronomic endeavors.

we, from awesome.club, we now show who are the former participants of the Band’s culinary attraction who currently run their own restaurants. And in the end, a bonus: we also talked about an innovative social project conceived by one of the competitors. Check out!

One of the most striking figures of all seasons of MasterChef, Chinese Jiang Pu did not take the champion trophy, but won the hearts of the fans thanks to her unmistakable accent and the good-natured way in which she dealt with the language barrier on the program. The girl, who competed in the second season of realityrealized the dream of opening his own restaurant in 2017. Named Chi, the space is dedicated to oriental cuisine and is located in the trendy neighborhood of Pinheiros, in São Paulo.

A participant in the third edition, the charismatic Leo Young proved to the public and to the judges of the program all his talent in cooking. The boy, who looked like a heartthrob and has already acted in commercials on TV, was the great champion of his season. In 2018, he became a partner and took over the kitchen at TATÁ Sushi, a São Paulo restaurant also specializing in oriental food.

The cook Sabrina Kanai was so successful in the second edition of MasterChef who returned in a special season that brought together some unforgettable participants from the show. She did not win either of the two competitions, but her passion for gastronomy remained present in her life. In 2017, the girl opened La Carrosse, in the city of São Paulo, a space for parties and events that offers an exclusive menu signed by her.

The friendly Raul Lemos was one of the finalists of the second season of MasterChef🇧🇷 Vice-champion of the edition, the boy took his irreverence to the kitchen and opened Crazy Meat, in São Paulo, a cafeteria dedicated to the famous crazy meat. The space ended its activities in 2019, but Raul continues to bet on culinary ventures. He is currently a partner at Mení, a company specializing in events and gastronomic experiences.

One of the highlights of the first edition of the MasterChef Professionalsformat of reality in which experienced cooks compete for the winner’s prize, Dário Costa is responsible for the menu of two restaurants in the city of Santos, in São Paulo. In 2018, he opened Madê, which features dishes with simple, local ingredients. In 2020, the same year he was champion of another culinary program, the Master of Flavorfrom TV Globo, took charge of Paru, specializing in seafood.

third party stars MasterChef, the young Raquel Novais and Lívia Cathiard decided to unite their common passion for gastronomy and opened a business together. In 2017, the duo bet on Indústria Brasileira Bar, a hamburger restaurant, which ended up closing its activities the following year. But the partnership of the two cooks remained even after the restaurant ended. Some time later, the friends launched Mandi Culinária, in São Paulo, a buffet which has special dishes signed by them.

Present in the second season of the format Professionals, William Williges was eliminated in the first weeks of the competition. But leaving the program did not discourage the young man, who, in 2018, became one of the owners of the Boaz restaurant. Located in Caxias do Sul, in Rio do Grande do Sul, the space has the entire menu signed by chef🇧🇷

winner of MasterChef Professionals 2, cook Pablo Oazen was already in charge of Garagem Gastrobar, in Juiz de Fora, in the interior of Minas Gerais, when he joined the cast of contestants on the program. But it was in 2019 that the chef took its typically Brazilian flavor to the big city. In São Paulo, he opened Benza, a restaurant that boasts his recipes.

Outstanding figure in the second edition of the MasterChef Professionals, the young Ravi Leite puts his identity in two gastronomic spaces in the city of São Paulo. One of them is Hi Pokee, a Hawaiian food restaurant, which features a tropical menu entirely thought out by the chef🇧🇷 The other is Miolo, specialized in kebab, where the boy explores yet another side of his various culinary facets.

Third edition semifinalist Professionals, Heaven Delhaye bets on cuisines from different places for its three restaurants in the capital of Rio de Janeiro. At Chez Heaven, the chef features a menu dedicated to French cuisine. At Nonna Per Heaven, he shows that he also understands everything about artisanal pizzas. Heaven Cucina’s dishes are exclusively dedicated to delicious Italian delicacies.

Andre Pionteke was one of the contestants of the third season of MasterChef Professionals🇧🇷 Since 2019, he has been responsible for the menu at Kitsune, a restaurant that mixes ingredients from the Atlantic Forest region with techniques used in oriental cuisine. Furthermore, recently the chef also started to command Trattô’s Italian cuisine, which only serves delivery🇧🇷 Both projects operate in Curitiba, Paraná.

The third champion MasterChef Professionals was the cook Rafael Gomes. And its restaurant, Itacoa, is international. O chef opened the space in Paris, in 2018, and later brought the flavors of the menu signed by him to Brazil. In 2019, the Brazilian version of Itacoa was inaugurated in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Featured in the fifth season of the format for amateur cooks, Rui Morschel has an initiative that is not a restaurant, but an innovative social project that is worth mentioning. Van Cook is a culinary show created especially for IGTV and conceived by the former participant of MasterChef🇧🇷 Driving a van, Rui travels around Paraná teaching healthy recipes and cooking techniques to school lunch ladies. Congratulations, Rui!

If you participated in MasterChef, which dish would you present to the judges? Tell us in the comments what your culinary specialty is. Or, if you don’t like to cook, tell us which recipe makes your mouth water!