Ping Coombes

Born and raised in the town of Ipoh, Ping Coombes has taken the UK’s food scene by storm, first winning MasterChef UK in 2014 and then being crowned the MasterChef Champion of Champions in 2022. Since her childhood, Coombes has always taken inspiration from her mother from the way she held her wok to the way she cooked for family with love and care.

Despite having spent years away from home, Coombes consistently champions Malaysian cooking in the UK. In fact, both of her winning dishes on her two stints on MasterChef UK were her spruced up versions of iconic Malaysian dishes: nasi lemak and claypot chicken rice.

Whenever she’s not in the kitchen cooking with her two daughters or trying out new restaurants with her family, Coombes is most likely developing recipes for clients and magazines, running her Ping At Home food brand with her husband, prepping for her supper club Makan or managing her cooking school called Masak Club. Whenever possible, Coombes makes it a point to bring her daughters to work with her, showing them that it is more than possible to do what they love with a good work ethic.

In 2023, Malaysians can look forward to the opening of Coombes’ first bar in Malaysia.