Diana Chan

Diana Chan
Born	1987 or 1988 Setiawan, Perak, Malaysia
Occupation(s)	Chef, television host, cookbook writer, brand ambassador, accountant (former)
Years active	2017–present
Known for	Winner of the ninth season of MasterChef Australia

Diana Chan (born 1987 or 1988) is an Australian chef originally from Malaysia. She emerged as the winner of the ninth season of MasterChef Australia in 2017, narrowly surpassing runner-up Ben Ungermann. After her triumph, Chan shifted her professional focus from accounting to the culinary industry, engaging as a brand ambassador, television host, and cookbook writer.

Early life

Born in either 1987 or 1988 in Setiawan, Perak, Malaysia, Chan is the youngest sibling among three children. Her family relocated from their guava farm to Johor Bahru, where she attended Convent Johor Bahru school. She developed her cooking skills by observing her parents prepare traditional Peranakan and Cantonese meals. At age 17, she moved to Kuala Lumpur to complete her Cambridge A levels before emigrating to Melbourne, Australia. Chan graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Deakin University in 2010.

Career

Following her qualification as a chartered accountant, Chan took on a role at Deloitte as a senior analyst.

MasterChef Australia

Chan participated in the ninth season of MasterChef Australia, which was filmed between November 2016 and May 2017. She approached the competition with composure and precision, excelling particularly in mystery box challenges and leading her team to victory in the initial group challenge.

On 24 July 2017, she secured the title by a margin of one point over Ben Ungermann. Her rewards included a $250,000 cash prize and a regular column in delicious. magazine. Chan intended to invest her winnings in launching a casual dining establishment inspired by Malaysian flavors. The stress of the final affected her health for a week. To compete, she took unpaid leave and exhausted her savings, returning to accounting work immediately after winning while planning future culinary ventures.

Post-MasterChef Endeavors

Since winning MasterChef, Chan has partnered with various brands across Australia and Asia, such as Kenwood and St. Regis Hotels. She created the in-flight menu for Malaysia Airlines and served as their brand ambassador. Her collaboration with Golden Wok dumplings resulted in a frozen dumpling product line that achieved AUD 10 million in sales during 2020, becoming Australia's top-selling item within its category. By 2023, this brand expanded its distribution into Asian markets.

In 2018, Chan ran Chanteen, a pop-up restaurant based in Melbourne, for eight months. In 2024, she released The Golden Wok, a cookbook showcasing Malaysian dishes prepared using a wok.

Chan also hosted the television series Asia Unplated with Diana Chan, which debuted on SBS on 19 December 2019. The program featured collaborations with friends and fellow MasterChef alumni including Khanh Ong. After six months dedicated to securing funding and organizing production logistics, the show premiered alongside other SBS culinary programs. A second season aired in 2021, comprising ten episodes filmed in Melbourne under COVID-19 protocols and including guests such as Ong, Sarah Todd, and Karlie Verkerk.