in honor of aapi heritage month, we're sharing a conversation that honestly still makes us smile.
quick facts on Dara Yu:
- chef, pastry specialist, and MasterChef US Season 12 winner
- youngest-ever winner of MasterChef US
- competed on MasterChef Junior (Season 6) at age 12
- graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) with an associate's degree in baking & pastry
- founder of Congee & Crullers, a globally inspired cruller and donut pop-up
this past summer of 2025, we had the absolute pleasure of meeting Dara Yu at emeri matcha bar in Vancouver during one of our pop-ups. and honestly? we were kind of starstruck.
but that's the thing about Dara. she's the youngest winner of MasterChef US, a CIA-trained pastry chef, someone who has cooked in front of Gordon Ramsay more than once, and yet she walked in, ordered her okawari matcha latte, and just chatted with us like an old friend.
every time she visited, we looked forward to it. she's the kind of person who makes you feel like the conversation could go on forever. energetic, funny, genuinely curious about everything, and so humble about a life that, from the outside, looks pretty extraordinary.
we sat down with her to talk about food, farming, and what comes next. we hope you love getting to know her as much as we did!
a kid in the kitchen
Dara Yu was twelve years old when she first competed on MasterChef Junior, and by her own account, she was just a kid having the time of her life.
what was it like competing at twelve?
"I was a kid, and it was just kind of fun. It was a crazy experience to go through, but the friends I made were great, and it really put me onto this path of food and cooking."
that path eventually led her to the Culinary Institute of America in New York, where she completed an 18-month associate's degree in baking and pastry. five days a week, eight hours a day. pretty much like a full time job.
how was culinary school different from what people might imagine?
"I would talk to my friends who were in traditional college and they'd be stressed writing their 10-page paper, and I was like, I'm making fondant flowers for my homework. But it was intense. Every semester you take five three-week classes, so everything changed constantly: cake basics, chocolates, confectionery arts, sugar pulling, bread. It was a lot, all at once."
"And then Covid hit my second semester."
the pandemic turned culinary school into something nobody had signed up for: face shields, gloves, masks in the kitchen. but Dara doesn't frame it as a hardship so much as something that helped shape her.
"I had to work through that. We all did. But if anything, it gave me a little more resilience."
coming back to win
when Dara was invited back to compete on MasterChef US Season 12, a "back to win" season bringing together past contestants for another shot. She was one of only two MasterChef Junior alumni going up against adult contestants who had already proven themselves on the show.
and she won. making her the youngest winner in MasterChef US history.
how did it feel walking in as an adult versus at twelve?
"There was more pressure. More at stake. A little more nerve-wracking, for sure. But I went in with a really good mindset, and I just continued to positive talk myself through it."
what did you take away from the whole thing?
"To just continue to believe in myself. There were contestants with years more experience than me. But I had just graduated from culinary school, and I'd been doing this since I was twelve. I went in with an open mind. Whatever happens, happens, and I'm going to do my best. There was a lot of manifesting, and it worked out."
and Gordon Ramsay, an icon. How was interacting with him?
"Gordon has a persona on TV. But one of the cool things about being a contestant is you get to see him outside of that. He is so sweet and so supportive. I'm genuinely honoured that I've been able to cook for him, and get his words of advice."
croissants, cakes, and a very architectural brain
what do you love making most?
"Viennoiserie. Laminated pastries like croissants and laminated brioche. I love the technicality of it. But I also love layered cakes. My father was an architect, so the structural aspect is genuinely fun for me to figure out. It's almost like problem-solving."
back to the roots, literally
at the time we sat down with her, Dara wasn't in a restaurant kitchen. she had spent the previous six months living in Vancouver, a city she'd been visiting her whole life since her father was raised here, completing a practicum program at the University of British Columbia.
what interests you about farming?
"I've always been really interested in knowing how and where our food comes from. It felt like something I needed to do before anything else."
and what does the next chapter look like for you?
"I'm trying to figure it all out, like many 24-year-olds. But I know I want to continue in food. And I want to relaunch my pop-up: Congee and Crullers, globally inspired congee and donuts. I'm excited to revamp it and bring it back."
"There are so many things I want to do. It's just figuring out where to go first. But the world's my oyster."
her Vancouver food picks
we had to ask. a CIA-trained MasterChef winner who spent six months eating her way through Vancouver? we obviously needed the list.
as a foodie, what were your favourite spots in the city?
"There are so many. I love the Vancouver food scene. Ask for Luigi and Savio Volpe, I love pasta. And Empire Seafood! I was trying to eat dim sum as much as I could while I was here because it really is the best. I was always on the hunt for the best siu mai and har gow."
memories with tea and her favorites
does tea hold a particular place for you, beyond just the drink?
"Tea has always been present in my life. My earliest memories are with my Popo, my grandma. We'd always have tea after dinner when I'd see her during the holidays. And dim sum, with the teapots on the lazy Susan. That's really embedded in me."
"Matcha specifically, I didn't really get into it until my teens. But the first time I had it I was like, this is a whole different experience. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, it makes me jittery and anxious. Matcha gives me the energy I need, but spreads throughout the day instead of all at once."
and we have to ask, what's your favourite matcha on our menu?
"I've tried a different one every time I come in! Today I'm drinking the Okawari, and I love it. I love a bold, strong matcha. But Roku, the ice cream tasting one, that's a great one too. Sweeter, really good. I just love that you have a variety. You're showcasing everything matcha has to offer versus just one matcha."
last question, if you were a MasterChef judge, what score would you give emeri matcha bar?
"Taste: 10. Every single one I've had here, not once did I think oh, that wasn't as good as the last. Experience: also 10. Seeing the matcha made in front of you, the tasting notes on the menu. I tell everyone in Vancouver: if you're looking for matcha, go to emeri."
we're not crying. you're crying.
a big thanks for Dara for taking some time out of her busy days to chat with us! please continue to follow her incredible journey on instagram.
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emeri matcha bar is a Vancouver-based matcha bar founded by Josephine Au and Justin Ng. what started as a passion project, blind taste tests on the kitchen table, comparing notes, sharing favourites with friends, grew into a community rooted in one simple belief: there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to tea. emeri sources first harvest leaves directly from family-owned farms across Japan, curating a rotating menu of matcha and hojicha with distinct flavour profiles, so every person can find the one that's truly theirs. come find your matcha™ at enjoyemeri.com.
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