The MasterChef Telugu winner’s ordeal
Tejal Sinha
With passion, commitment and a desire to make his father’s kebab cart into something truly remarkable, Mahboob Vin Basha won the MasterChef India Telugu title. His success is largely attributed to his family’s history. Notwithstanding the challenges, Mahboob honed his skills and pursued his love for cooking, focusing on combining regional flavours. He stood out in the MasterChef India Telugu kitchen because of his commitment to preserving and advancing his father’s culinary legacy. So without further ado, The Pioneer made contact with the chef de cuisine via a Zoom call and Mahboob, looking ecstatic, says, “I have been going through several years of struggles to get to that point where I can lift the trophy. My talents were shown in the MasterChef kitchen. Without a doubt, I had a very meaningful experience when I was lifting the trophy.”
Excerpts from the interview:
How would you describe your journey from being a chef to a MasterChef?
Initially, I was working in bakeries. Through the platform of MasterChef, I gained experience working in different cuisines with different ingredients. It allowed me to come out of my comfort zone. I also got to learn so many insights from the show.
From auditions to lifting the MasterChef trophy, how would you describe the experience?
The journey has been beautiful. Every day did bring a new challenge, but I used to go to sleep knowing that I got to learn something new. I used to eagerly wait for the next challenge and learn the methods. It was a roller coaster journey with many ups and downs in the show, but I enjoyed the journey.
Please tell us about your inspiration to get into MasterChef Telugu?
My inspiration comes from my parents. My father is a street vendor and I used to help him out. It was from him that I learned my basic skills and then I used to help my mother too. During my college days, I used to cook for my friends and they’d always appreciate me. It used to feel like I had a great future in the culinary industry. Gaining the title of MasterChef India Telugu is like realising a longtime ambition. This triumph belongs to my family, especially my late father, whose enthusiasm for cooking inspired me to pursue it as a career. I used to picture his delight and happiness while I stood in the MasterChef kitchen. My motivation has always come from his aim of transforming our kebab cart into an upscale restaurant; this victory brings him one step closer to accomplishing his goal. That being said, the judges’ and my fellow competitors’ encouragement has been vital this season. Every difficulty forced me to stay loyal to my heritage while experimenting with new methods and flavours. This journey has strengthened my conviction that perseverance and hard work pay off.
How did you overcome the challenges?
In MasterChef, it’s all about fine-dining cuisines. So since I had no knowledge about the same, I had to do my own research and go through a lot of books to understand how to present my dishes.
Could you recall the moment you got the audition call?
In Chennai, I used to work in a cake boutique shop. So there is a chef; I used to work with her. During Diwali, the sales of sweets are at their peak. During that, I got an audition call, but I was in a dilemma about whether or not to participate. My chef motivated me to give this a shot.
Your special dish from the show?
There are so many messages that I’ve been getting for Puran Poli mixture ice cream. Many audiences felt it was much more relatable. People messaged me, saying that they’re very impressed with how it was presented.
Which of the moments from the show would you describe as your most memorable?
When the judges announced that I was the winner, my fellow contestants enjoyed it more than me. In any cooking competition, this is a very rare moment. It was very overwhelming.
What’s been your approach to cooking?
When I cook, I make sure that the ingredients I use are not wasted and I look at how these ingredients are made and brought to the table. I prefer to do sustainable cooking to produce a dish. I looked into ingredients in a different way and I wanted to come up with a nice concept and show the judges what I am capable of and that’s how the judges felt connected to me.
What’s your goal now, post-MasterChef?
Since my father was a street vendor, I want to convert his stall into a restaurant. India doesn’t have a Michelin star and I would dedicate my life to bringing Michelin-star Indian cuisine to India. I would continue to do that throughout my life.
