Celebrating culinary mastery with Telugu MasterChefs

Freshly, MasterChef India-Telugu held a small, intimate “meet and greet” event at SOHO Cafe in Hyderabad to honour the culinary prowess displayed by the contestants. The meaningful engagement was made possible by the cafe’s event, which was held in a quiet area!
The programme was renewed for a second season this year due to the popularity of the first one, which debuted in 2021. This event was organised by MasterChef India-Telugu for the participants to display the love and support from the fans. The competitors were a cheerful group of individuals who stated they had now become extended family.
Participants Akhil Tumpudi, Raaga Sri, Shyam Gopisetti, Amjad Lala, Rohit Chidurala, P. Ashwini, Neetu Srigiri and the winner, Mahboob Vin Basha, arrived to kick off the event!
When the MasterChef India-Telugu champion appeared and gave a round of applause to each and every one of them, the crowd went absolutely berserk.
As soon as the anchor took the stage, conversations began. The participants started joking around with one another and answered a few audience questions. The candidates left a lasting impression on the spectators, as what happened was less of a meet-and-greet and more akin to a family get-together with tons of praise!
A fan quiz session led by the anchor drew enthusiastic responses from the audience. As the competitors eagerly responded to questions from the audience, they casually started arguing, as if they were comfortable with one another.
Known for her baking prowess, competitor Ashwini disclosed during this session that she is a vegetarian and has only ever had the opportunity to prepare non-vegetarian meals for the competition. “I took help from my cooking class friends to get the basic idea of cooking non-vegetarian dishes; before that, I never cooked with meat or seafood,” said the baker.
One young fan asked a question aimed at Akhil Tumpudi. After viewing the episode, the little child has already signed up for cooking classes, hoping to follow in his footsteps. Overwhelmed Akhil commented, “I hope you have the finest possible day after finding out from the boy’s mother! For me, cooking is a form of meditation and a way to decompress. If this resonates with you as well, cooking is for you.”
The competitors discussed their friendships both on and off screen while sharing their journeys through the tournament. Even though they had clashed during the tournament, they returned to the service apartments and gave each other feedback on how they could have performed better.
There were numerous obstacles throughout the show, and each contestant got the opportunity to highlight their special culinary skills. Raaga incorporated all the essential ingredients into her recipe using her skills as a dietician, while Shyam brought his street-food knowledge to the MasterChef table. During the tag-team competition, Neetu imparted her experience to Ashwini, while Amjad Lala demonstrated his best during the biryani. Everyone discussed how they had grown from one another and how the show had allowed them to try new foods.
Curious fans were treated to some fascinating behind-the-scenes information from the participants. Mahboob Vin Basha, the champion, talked about his difficult experience: “The crab challenge! The difficulty of the Protein Time Auction was really tough. I wanted to make crab cake, so I decided to use crab as the ingredient. The crab I used on the show was liquid, but normally it needs to be denser for the dish. I had trouble getting the flavour just perfect.”
Supporters spoke just as loudly about the show’s experience for them and the influence the contestants had on them. They behaved, showed respect, and were polite to the participants. Some shared their hometowns and other common roots with the contestants, while others were occupied taking pictures of their favourite contestants.
The fact that every person was so understanding was the most fascinating aspect of the experience. The fans were kind, nice, and harmonic, despite the small space. Everyone had a great time interacting with one another throughout the event, especially the contestants. Additionally, fans were given delicious refreshments and candies to gorge on. Overall, both the MasterChef India-Telugu competitors and their supporters had an amazing time.