Sashi Cheliah on Samantha Ruth Prabhu, MasterChef Tamil and his unconventional journey: ‘Definitely a big asset’

After spending more than 20 years in law enforcement, working as a police officer, a prison officer, and even as a weapons specialist, Sashi Cheliah felt like doing something different. So he wore a chef’s hat and apron and decided to compete on MasterChef Australia, and eventually won.

“And the rest, as they say, is history,” he tells us in an exclusive interview.

And now, the tables have turned: he is back on the show, but this time as a judge on Celebrity MasterChef Tamil.

The South Indian chef, who grew up in Singapore, reflects on his journey, how Covid was extremely harsh, his new stint, and working with Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Read the edited excerpts below:

1. How has life been after winning MasterChef Australia Season 10? How different do you think life would have been if you hadn’t?

Sashi Cheliah: MasterChef Australia Season 10 definitely changed my life. Winning the competition gave me a huge advantage. What might have taken an established chef 10 or 15 years to achieve in terms of recognition and getting an entry into the industry, I was able to experience within a much shorter period, almost within a year. But at the same time, entering the industry wasn’t easy because having the MasterChef experience and having real industry experience are two completely different things.

Winning the show opened the door for me, but once I stepped into the industry, I had a lot to learn. Starting a restaurant and actually working in the industry soon after winning MasterChef gave me tremendous exposure and, more importantly, valuable industry experience. That experience has been extremely useful and has helped me grow and become a better chef.

If I hadn’t won MasterChef, I honestly don’t know where I would be today. I might still have entered the food industry, or I might have gone back to law enforcement. It’s difficult to say because that path never happened. I won; I started a restaurant, and I’m still here in the industry, cooking and doing what I love. And I’m very grateful for how that journey has turned out.

Story continues below this ad

2. You came to cooking relatively late in life. What made you realise you wanted to pursue food seriously?

Sashi Cheliah: Cooking had always been a big part of who I was. It’s something that’s been with me since childhood. I love eating, discovering new cuisines, trying food from different cultures, and, most importantly, cooking for the people I care about.

So when MasterChef Australia Season 10 was looking for contestants, I thought, why not? I applied, took that leap of faith, and thankfully, it all worked out. And as they say, the rest is history.

3. From a contestant to a judge on Celebrity MasterChef Tamil — how does it feel to be on the other side?

Sashi Cheliah: It feels very surreal, honestly. When I got the call to be a judge on Celebrity MasterChef Tamil, I was extremely happy, because I’ve experienced MasterChef from the other side as a contestant on MasterChef Australia. I know exactly what it feels like to stand at that station with the clock ticking, the pressure building and challenges being thrown at you.

It’s not an easy competition. A lot goes on emotionally when you’re cooking under that kind of pressure. So, now that I’m on the other side of the table, I’ll bring empathy and emotional understanding to the role. I’ve been through that experience myself, and I understand a contestant’s mindset.

Story continues below this ad

As a contestant, it’s a completely different ballgame. You’re not just thinking about the food; you’re dealing with the pressure, the expectations, the fear of making a mistake and the desire to prove yourself. Because I’ve experienced all of that, I feel I can connect with the contestants on a much deeper level, understand what they’re going through, and hopefully help bring out the very best in them.

4. Having been a contestant yourself, are you a little more empathetic towards the contestants on the show?

Sashi Cheliah: Definitely. I’ve been in their shoes. I’ve gone through an entire season of MasterChef myself, so I understand the experience from beginning to end. I know the pressure, the highs, the lows, the excitement and also the uncertainty that comes with every challenge. So, naturally, I have a very deep sense of empathy towards the contestants.

MasterChef is not an easy format. It has a global reputation and a very high standard, and the challenges can sometimes look almost impossible even to someone watching from home. But I think that’s also the beauty of MasterChef.

It challenges you to create things you never thought you could, whether it’s an intricate dessert, a technically demanding dish, or something completely outside your comfort zone. So when I see a contestant struggling, I don’t just see the dish in front of me. I understand the person behind that dish and what they might be going through. I think that experience will definitely shape how I judge and interact with them.

5. How different is Celebrity MasterChef Tamil from its Australian counterpart?

Sashi Cheliah: The format is very similar because, at the end of the day, it’s MasterChef. Worldwide, the basic format remains consistent. But with Celebrity MasterChef Tamil, they’ve localised it in a way that makes it more relatable and enjoyable for the Tamil audience. The show has much more entertainment, fun, and laughter woven in.

Story continues below this ad

But even with all of that, cooking remains the main focus. We haven’t deviated far from the original MasterChef format, and we’ve made sure food stays the priority and the standard of cooking remains paramount. So, while there’s plenty of entertainment and fun for the audience, there’s also serious cooking, creativity, and great food. I think it’s a really good balance between what people love about MasterChef and what makes it uniquely relatable to a Tamil audience.

6. You have Indian heritage and grew up in Singapore. How do those two food cultures show up in the way you cook or view food?

Sashi Cheliah: Both my Indian heritage and growing up in Singapore have had a massive influence. As a South Indian growing up in Singapore, I was exposed from a young age to Indian, Chinese, and Malay cuisines, as well as more modern cooking styles. That exposure has strongly influenced how I cook and view food today. I think it also gave me an advantage on MasterChef Australia because I wasn’t limited to one cuisine.

In Singapore, the beauty is in the way different food cultures come together. Even at home, it was quite normal to have a meal that incorporated elements from multiple cuisines on the same table and sometimes even on the same plate. That combination came quite naturally to me on MasterChef. I could bring Indian flavours and techniques together with Chinese or Malay influences, and it never felt forced.

The judges really enjoyed that because the food wasn’t purely Indian, but it still had bold flavours and strong ingredients that reflected my heritage. Being on the show also gave me the confidence to present those flavours in a more modern and technical way. It gave me a completely new perspective on cooking and on how I present food, whether it’s to an audience or to my customers in my restaurants.

Story continues below this ad

So, I think both my Indian heritage and my multicultural upbringing in Singapore have played a huge role in shaping me as a chef. That mix of cuisines is a big part of who I am and how I cook.

7. In all these years, has there ever come a point when you thought about giving up on cooking?

Sashi Cheliah: Sadly, yes. There was a point when I genuinely thought about giving up, and I think many chefs felt the same during COVID. COVID really shook the entire hospitality industry. For me, the timing was particularly difficult because I opened my restaurant, Gaja by Sashi, in October 2019, and by March 2020, we were forced to close because of the pandemic.

We had been in business for less than five months, and suddenly, I had no idea how long the closure would last or what the future would look like. I had invested so much financially and emotionally into the restaurant, so it was an incredibly difficult period. During that time, everything became about survival, keeping the business going and making sure we could stay afloat.

Somewhere along the way, I lost the creative side of cooking. I lost some of the joy of creating food and sharing it with people because I focused entirely on keeping the business alive. But with my family’s support, especially my wife’s, I managed to get through it. She was one of my biggest pillars of strength.

Story continues below this ad

While I focused on keeping the business running, she took care of everything at home and gave me the support and space I needed to keep going. Honestly, without her encouragement and motivation, I don’t know if I would have lasted in the industry. She helped me get through one of the toughest periods of my life and eventually rediscover my love for food and cooking.

Looking back, COVID was a real test of my resilience, both as a chef and as a business owner. It reminded me that sometimes, it’s not just your passion for cooking that keeps you going, but also the people who stand beside you when things get difficult.

8. How is it working with Samantha Ruth Prabhu on the show?

Sashi Cheliah: I think Samantha brings a very important emotional dimension to the show. As our celebrity host, she has been very neutral and has really embraced the whole experience. She’s constantly interacting with the contestants, sharing her own experiences, and even sitting with us during the tastings and getting involved in that side of the competition. I think she brings a certain empathy and a softer emotional connection to the kitchen.

Remember, the contestants are under tremendous stress, so having someone who can connect with them on that human level matters. She also shares her own food experiences and knowledge with us, and that adds another dimension to the show. So while we, as the chefs and judges, look at the food from a culinary perspective, Samantha brings that emotional, human connection. She’s definitely a big asset to the team, and I think she brings a completely different dimension to Celebrity MasterChef Tamil.

Story continues below this ad

9. You’ve been teamed up with two other chefs on the show. When the three of you disagree on a dish or flavour, how do you reach a consensus, given how subjective taste can be?

Sashi Cheliah: Oh, definitely. I think we’re an amazing team. Each of us comes from a very different culinary background, and those strengths complement each other really well. I think the channel has put together a very interesting judging panel. Chef Venkatesh Bhat brings an incredible wealth of experience.

He’s been in the industry for more than two decades, close to 30 years, and he has done multiple television shows, written hundreds of recipes and cookbooks, and has spent so many years as a chef and culinary expert. So his experience is a huge asset to the show. He brings that depth of knowledge and can guide not only the contestants, but also Shreeya and me at times. There’s always something to learn from him. Then there’s Chef Shreeya, our dessert queen. She has such incredible knowledge of patisserie and desserts, and she brings a completely different perspective to the judging table.

I bring a more global perspective. I experienced MasterChef Australia as a contestant, and I’ve been exposed to Singaporean, Australian, Chinese, and Malay cuisines, while also having a strong connection to Tamil cuisine through my roots.

So the three of us come from very different walks of life, with different experiences and areas of expertise. Together, I think that gives the contestants a really broad range of knowledge and perspectives. It’s a wonderful addition to the MasterChef family, and I’m really enjoying being part of this judging panel.

10. If you could cook one final meal for your family, what would be on the table?

Sashi Cheliah: That’s a tough one because my family really loves quite a few dishes when I’m home. One of them would definitely be my lamb biryani. My wife and kids absolutely love my version.

Story continues below this ad

I incorporate flavours like pandan leaf and lemongrass, so it’s a very unique combination of Southeast Asia meeting India. It has those familiar biryani flavours, but with that little Southeast Asian influence that makes it quite different and very personal to me.

My chicken rice would definitely have to be on the table, too. My wife and I both grew up in Singapore, so chicken rice has always been close to our hearts. It brings back a lot of childhood memories for both of us.

And, of course, I couldn’t finish the meal without my favourite pineapple tart. So if I had to choose one final meal for my family, it would be lamb biryani, chicken rice and pineapple tart, a combination that really represents my family, my upbringing and the food I love.

11. One kitchen shortcut you secretly approve of?

Sashi Cheliah: I don’t mind using the microwave for a quick cheat dessert: a chocolate lava cake!

I don’t actually have a microwave in my restaurant because I believe in cooking everything from scratch and serving fresh food to my customers.

But at home, if I’m craving a quick dessert and don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen, the microwave can definitely be my best friend. So yes, a quick microwave chocolate lava cake is one shortcut I’m more than happy to approve of!

12. Does cooking for a living ever make you not want to cook at home?

Sashi Cheliah: Definitely not. I still love cooking at home. In fact, whenever I’m home, the kitchen is mine! When I’m away, my wife or my younger son, Ryan, takes over. But as soon as I’m home, I’m back in there doing most of the cooking. I genuinely love feeding my family, and I wouldn’t give that up for anything because that’s where my love for cooking started.

My family are also my best critics. They’re the ones who will tell me straight to my face whether something is good, bad, or needs improvement. I get completely honest feedback from them, and I really value that. So no matter how busy I get or how much I cook professionally, I’ll always want to cook for my family whenever I’m home. That part of cooking will never feel like work to me.