MasterChef Singapore contestant quits legal career to sell Italian sandwiches from home

Since the start of Season 4 of MasterChef Singapore, Amanda Chia, 24, has been a vivacious presence on the show.

The contestant left a lasting mark with her recent elimination in episode four, which brought judges Damian D’Silva and Audra Morrice to the brink of tears as they bid her farewell.

“My experience on MasterChef was amazing. During the elimination, I felt a little overwhelmed because at the time, I couldn’t really process my thoughts. I’m very grateful to the judges for the kindness and support that they have extended to me and I’m also very grateful to get the opportunity to cook on the show,” Amanda told 8days.sg over the phone.

But this isn’t the end of Amanda’s culinary journey. The SMU law graduate, who recently completed her traineeship at a law firm, has teamed up with former hotel chef boyfriend Alex Ng, 25, to start a home-based Italian sandwich business which they named Paan.

"'Pan' means bread in Italian and we use two ‘A’s because of our names,” she explained.

Set to launch on Sep 15, Paan's menu will offer four gourmet sandwiches crafted with house-baked Italian bread and a house-made tomato soup. Prices range from S$10 to S$16.50 for sandwiches.

QUITTING LAW TO FOCUS ON F&B DREAM

For Amanda, the decision to pivot from a legal career (“I would have become a family lawyer”, she said) to pursue a full-time venture in F&B was not a tough one.

"I’ve always wanted to do F&B, it was just a matter of when,” she shared. “I love law and cooking equally but I think at this time, I want to pursue my food dreams. It’s time for me to start something new while I'm young and I believe in making the most out of every opportunity.” 

With this transition, Amanda joins the ranks of other lawyers-turned-F&B-entrepreneurs like Willin Low, chef-owner of Wild Rocket Group and Woo Wai Leong, MasterChef Asia winner and chef-owner of modern Asian fusion diner Restaurant Ibid.

Asked about this trend, Amanda offered her perspective: “Food really brings people together so I'm not surprised that many lawyers actually move into the food industry. A well-cooked dish can spark conversations, create memories and spread joy in ways that legal documents might not. I would love to make a career out of making people happy.”

The bubbly Gen Z-er says that even though her parents are “slightly worried” about the transition, they fully support her decision. “After MasterChef, they realised, ‘Amanda has a passion for food’, and they are supporting me wholeheartedly.”

DECIDED TO START HOME-BASED BUSINESS AFTER MASTERCHEF

Amanda’s turning point came during her time on MasterChef, where she witnessed fellow contestants embracing their passion for food.

She recalled: “I got to meet many like-minded friends and they were all running food ventures as well so they gave me a lot of advice. I was very inspired when I saw all the contestants doing something they love. Life is short, we have to make the most of the time that we have and that’s why I decided to take the plunge.”

PASSION FOR ITALIAN FOOD

Apart from her experience on MasterChef, Amanda’s culinary path was also shaped by a volunteer trip to Italy in 2019. “I taught English, art, culture and cooking to children in a Catholic school in Rimini (a coastal city in Northern Italy) for six weeks,” she shared. 

There, she learned to cook from nonnas (grandmothers) who, despite the language barrier, welcomed her into their kitchens and shared the joy of Italian cooking.

“They would use Google Translate to teach me about Italian culture and cooking. They even taught me how to roll pasta by hand.”

The lessons came full circle in Episode 4 of MasterChef, where Amanda showcased her acquired skills by making strozzapreti (elongated, hand-rolled pasta). Unfortunately, the dish didn’t save her from elimination.

HER BOYFRIEND USED TO WORK AS A HOTEL CHEF

Inspired by the charming sandwich shops in Italy, Amanda wants to share her take on gourmet Italian sarnies with the help of her partner Alex, a SHATEC-trained chef.

He recently left his demi chef (line cook) job at The Ritz-Carlton, Millennia Singapore’s buffet restaurant Colony to manage Paan full-time. The couple will run their business from “a small kitchen” at Amanda’s family home.

“When I want to do something, I want to go into it wholeheartedly and not have any regrets,” he explained. “The goal is to open a brick-and-mortar store someday. It’s always nicer when you can eat the food fresh. We also really like the idea of meeting our customers. That’s the dream we’re working towards.”

Despite leaving their full-time jobs, Amanda remains optimistic about their ability to earn a decent living from their new venture.

“We’re confident that we’ll do well because confidence is a choice. Our main goal now is to perfect our sandwiches and make people happy. We think that the income will naturally come when there’s a good product that we can be proud of,” she said.

“I’m mentally prepared for the (financial) risk ahead, but at the same time, I’m more optimistic than ever. I’m not going to spend (money unnecessarily) on materialistic things. I’ve also saved up more,” shared the super perky young lady.

GOURMET ITALIAN SANDWICHES

The young chefs do not plan to split kitchen duties: Both will be equally involved in the prep work for Paan. All sandwiches will be made from schiacciata (an Italian flatbread similar to focaccia but thinner and chewier), freshly baked daily.

Fillings, which will rotate every two months, include house-made beef sausage, mortadella and stracciatella (Italian cheese made from shredded mozzarella mixed with cream), and sandwich spreads like roasted pistachio, pumpkin and chocolate, are all made in-house.

Here’s a look at their launch menu:

Sweet sandwich featuring pistachio and chocolate spread.

House-made tomato soup “from a nonna’s recipe”.

Paan launches on Sep 15. Order via their Instagram. 

MasterChef Singapore airs every Sunday on meWATCH and Channel 5 at 9.30pm. All episodes will be available on-demand, on the same night via meWATCH and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel. 

This story was originally published in 8Days.