Crown announces masterchef Australia partnership and masterchef alumni restaurant

24 April 2024: Crown and MasterChef Australia have today partnered to announce a unique dining experience, bringing ALUMNI to Crown Melbourne from next month; a limited time only restaurant set to showcase the diverse talents of MasterChef Australia alumni cooks.

The 16th season of the hugely popular reality show will see a rotating cast of MasterChef Australia alumni feature at the restaurant for a limited time, serving dishes from the cuisine they are best known. Each ALUMNI chef will take up rotating residency at the restaurant for three weeks.

Fans and foodies alike can visit ALUMNI to sample dishes from Kishwar Chowdhury (16 May – 2 June), Callum Hann (6 – 23 June), and Khanh Ong (27 June – 14 July), with a surprise fourth MasterChef Australia cook to be announced on 25 June.

Crown Resorts EGM of Brand and Marketing, Yolanda Uys, said: “Crown is a leading curator of exceptional, interesting experiences in Australia, and we are incredibly excited to partner with MasterChef Australia to bring a unique dining experience with the launch of ALUMNI at Crown Melbourne.

“Crown is Australia’s largest hospitality employer, with 51 restaurants and 31 bars across our three resorts. Each year we train approximately 75 apprentice chefs to go on to have illustrious careers, so as a leader in the hospitality industry, nothing brings us more joy than to partner with these chefs, and further add to our stable of world-class restaurants as we bring the magic of this iconic partnership to life for Australian foodies to enjoy.”

Rod Prosser, Chief Sales Officer, Paramount Australia, said: “This announcement is breaking new ground for the MasterChef franchise and demonstrates Paramount Brand Studio’s expertise in collaborating with partners and brands to redefine brand integrations and traditional sponsorships.

“The team has amplified this audience opportunity and worked closely with our partners to create a remarkable brand extension and experience like nothing we’ve seen before in Australia and we can’t wait for fans to see, smell, touch and taste MasterChef Australia at ALUMNI.”

Marty Benson, Director of Content, Melbourne, Endemol Shine Australia said: “Showcasing diverse and talented Australian cooks is at the heart of MasterChef Australia and ALUMNI is a wonderful celebration of our legacy and success stories.

“MasterChef Australia is a life changing experience with so many of our contestants carving out entirely new careers so it’s wonderful to see the ongoing impact of our show through the ALUMNI dining experience.

“And just like MasterChef Australia, ALUMNI will celebrate food from around the world with Kishwar, Callum and Khanh reflecting their cultures through their unique cuisine.”

Kishwar Chowdhury said: “I am so excited to be the first MasterChef off the rank for the ALUMNI at Crown residency! I’ve curated a special menu featuring some of my signature dishes, showcased across India and Bangladesh, including the dessert that took me to the MasterChef finale. I’m so excited to be bringing this menu to Crown Melbourne to share with you all!”

Callum Hann said: “MasterChef set me on the path towards the career I have today; from the age of 19 it’s been a part of my life and story so I’m very excited to showcase my love for Aussie produce and take the best of what’s in season to create an unforgettable menu. As one of the earliest MasterChef alumni, I’m also super proud to show my kids where the dream began.”

Khanh Ong said: “I’m super excited to be part of this amazing event at Crown. I’ve put together a menu that really brings out the best of my Vietnamese heritage and mixes it with some fine dining flair. We’re talking bold flavours, fresh ingredients, and little twists along the way that I hope everyone will love!”

Bookings for each ALUMNI chef will open in stages, with reservations for Kishwar Chowdhury’s Bangladeshi and regional Indian menu now available.

At Crown’s three Australian resorts, the MasterChef Australia collaboration will be able to be experienced by fans across an array of soon-to-be-announced activities.

The launch of MasterChef Australia reached 1.42 million total national viewers with so much more still to come this season with guest appearances from some of Crown’s renowned culinary stable of chefs.

See more information and plan your visit here:
Crown Melbourne: https://www.crownmelbourne.com.au/
Crown Sydney: https://www.crownsydney.com.au/
Crown Perth: https://www.crownperth.com.au/