His name is synonymous with some of the most spectacular desserts ever created in the MasterChef Australia kitchen. Think the iconic ‘Golden Snitch’ and ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’. For Reynold Poernomo, walking through those kitchen doors is like having permission to fly.

With a style described as a mix of avant-garde and contemporary, Reynold credits his time spent in this kitchen amongst his most creative, and he is thrilled to return to his culinary playground.

Dubbed the ‘Dessert King’ of MasterChef Australia seasons 7 and 12 (finishing in 3rd and 4th places respectively), Reynold has since gained huge recognition – and a huge social media following to match – for his creative concepts and mind-blowing desserts.

Moving to Australia from Indonesia aged four, Reynold grew up in a hospitality-focussed household and in 2016, teamed up with mother, Ike, and elder brothers Ronald and Arnold to open Sydney’s Koi Dessert Bar.

Koi now operates across two Sydney locations with cakes, classes and experiential dining on offer. Small Japanese-influenced eatery Monkey’s Corner joined the fold in 2017, boasting a full menu and cocktails, with Reynold serving as Creative Director.

Named a 2017 finalist in the Gault & Millau Pastry Chef of the Year awards, in the same year Reynold was also listed in Forbes Asia’s ‘30 under 30’. He has appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia and MasterChef Indonesia and in 2021, Reynold released a cookbook, The Dessert Game: Simple tricks, skillbuilders and showstoppers to up your game, to share his incredible inside knowledge with fans.

Having partnered with local and international brands on countless collaborations over the years, looking forward, Reynold has plans to further expand the Koi Dessert Bar footprint, with sights set on a Melbourne opening, as well as exploring opportunities in Singapore.

A chef constantly inspired by his travels, chefs abroad, his multi-cultural childhood and art, Reynold’s conceptual dishes, combined with his relentless pursuit of perfection, never fail to impress with both flavour and form. He stands poised to flex his creative muscles once again during Dessert Masters.