Reynold Poernomo, former top 4 MasterChef Australia contestant and Chef on running a creative food empire

Today, we have someone super special. He’s been a top 4 contestant on MasterChef Australia’s Season 7 (in 2015 – where at the time he was only 20 years old) and he’s the Co-Founder of multiple family-run restaurants – including KOI Dessert Bar & Dining and Monkey’s Corner. He’s often been referred to as Sydney’s "dessert king" but his abilities span well beyond sweets and into the savoury. He’s been featured multiple times in the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Good Food, News.com.au and Vogue Australia. If you’ve ever tried his creations you’ll feel his passion for taking people on a journey through taste, texture and visual theatre.   A part of his story I’m excited for you all to hear is his humble beginnings which isn’t widely known or told. He emigrated from Indonesia to Sydney with his family when he was just 4 years old. The food and restaurant empire actually started in their family garage where his mother started operations with only $300 to support them. Through his story you’ll see why he’s a firm believer in keeping a firm grip of your dreams.   Some of the topics we spoke about include: His top 3 dishes under $30 His advice for those looking to audition for MasterChef What makes a successful family-run business Practical business tips he’s learned along the way And his creative process   So if you’re thinking about running a creative business, or just love cooking and quality food, then this is for you. I present to you … the always moving, hardworking, creative visionary … Reynold Poernomo!     More on Reynold can be found via the links below: KOIDessertBar.com.au MonkeysCorner.com.au Reynold’s Facebook Page Reynold’s LinkedIn Instagram: @reynoldpoer   Links to some of Reynold’s favourite places to eat in Sydney: Mr Crackles Ichibandori Gumshara   Subscribe to The Giant Thinkers Podcast on iTunes.     Get 20% off my image search library of choice: Stocksy Stocksy provide royalty-free stock photography and cinematic video footage. A big reason why I love them is because their library is highly curated and isn’t full of cheesy, overused assets. Plus, the entire website is insanely easy to use. The searching, the filtering, the navigating – It’s all clear, intuitive and simple. They even have a drag and drop search feature if you have an image you like and want to see similar images on Stocky, just drag and drop it straight onto their website. And, they have a search by colour feature too. Perfect for finding images to match your colour palette. I encourage you to take advantage of the exclusive 20% OFF Stocksy discount code. Use the code: GIANTTHINKERS20 Head to: GiantThinkers.com/Stocksy