Nat Thaipun

Nathale Thaipun is an Australian television cook and barista. She was the winner of MasterChef Australia series 16 in 2024.

Early life

Nathale Thaipun was born in 1995–1996 to Thai parents and raised in regional Victoria. She boarded at Geelong Grammar School, where she was the Athletics Captain. Her parents, Han and Nutsiree, were restaurateurs, so she was exposed to the world of cooking from an early age. When her parents were running the restaurant, she and her two brothers learned to cook for themselves.

Personal life

Thaipun participates in high energy sports including snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing and skydiving. She is known for having over 90 tattoos on her body, which connect with her Thai heritage and the places she has visited.

Career

Thaipun held a variety of positions since leaving school, including barista, business manager, restaurant owner, and Greenpeace fundraiser.
In 2019, while living in Wānaka, New Zealand, Thaipun and her business partner developed "Wanakup", a reusable coffee cup which was provided through cafes on a "borrow, buy, return" system. The cup, which replaced over 450,000 single-use cups in two years, won a Local Initiative Award.
Thaipun has gained restaurant work experience with Jamie Oliver, Claire Smyth and Vue de Monde.
In January 2025, she announced her first cookbook, Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere, which is set to be released in October 2025.

MasterChef

Thaipun entered the 16th series of Masterchef Australia in 2024. In the first week of competition, she earned the series' only "immunity pin" and one week's work experience with Jamie Oliver in London. During the program's visit to Hong Kong, she received a job offer from chef Vicky Cheng.
On 16 July, Thaipun won the grand finale, defeating Tasmanian butcher Josh Perry by 71 points to 68. She received prize money of $250,000 and a residency at Alumni Restaurant in the Crown Melbourne resort.