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Dressed in their snow-white chef uniforms, Tan Yongzhi, Brandon Lee and Jason Lim, look more like teen idol pin-ups than award-winning chefs. t’s sits down with these three young men as they share with us their passions in life.

Chatting comfortably among themselves, the easy rapport between the three second-year Culinary & Catering Management students is the only hint of their recent success at the Tabasco Hot Chef Competition organised by the Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC). Open to all SJCC members, the culinary competition saw Yongzhi, Brandon and Jason clinch the top prize as their three-man team beat out young chefs from all over Singapore.

Unwinding in the kitchen after a hard day of lessons, the three award-winning young chefs share with us their love for cooking. “I like cooking and I got inspired by Sam Leong, a local chef.” says Yongzhi. “I watched him on TV and I hope that someday I can be like him, taking control of the kitchen.”

Nodding in agreement, Jason adds, “I used to catch every episode of this show called ‘Iron Chef’. My mum also influenced me as she often bakes at home. I started taking up an interest in cooking, so when it came to choosing a course, the choice was obvious.”

Like Jason, Brandon’s passion for cooking stems in part from his family, “I’ve loved cooking since I was like six or seven when my grandma was around. I used to help out in the house. And in primary school, I started to cook my own dishes.”

Chosen as one of two teams representing TP in the competition, Yongzhi, Brandon and Jason were picked based on the strength of the recipes they came up with. “Some of the recipes we used were my own,” says Brandon. “So I knew how to make them very nice to eat. The rest were some cold dishes that we weren’t very familiar with, so we would research, come up with ideas from different recipes and combine them together. That’s how we came up with the ideas.”

Deeply passionate about cooking, they hope to pursue their dreams of being a chef after graduation. Their ultimate aim? To set up their own restaurants in future. “After graduating, I hope to seek employment in a hotel.” Yongzhi says. “Hopefully I can work overseas for that hotel and save up for my own restaurant.”

Brandon and Jason intend to further their studies at the Culinary Institute of America before setting their sights on their ultimate dream, “I’m really trying to get into Les Amis for my attachment,” says Brandon. “My ultimate dream is to open a restaurant either in New York or in Singapore.” As for Jason, “I want to work for a respected restaurant, build up experience. Hopefully I can save enough money to open a casual dining café bakery. My dream would be to open a café in France or Italy.”