Santosh Shah is a Nepalese chef based in London, known for competing in the UK's reality cookery TV series BBC MasterChef: The Professionals in 2020.[1] Declared first runner up, Santosh is credited for popularising Nepalese cuisine in the UK and worldwide.[2] In 2021, Santosh once again, competed in the UK's BBC MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch and was declared the winner.[3][4][5]
Santosh Shah | |
|---|---|
 Shah with his book Ayla in front of Nilgiri | |
| Born | 5 November 1985 Karjanha, Siraha District, Nepal |
| Nationality | Nepalese |
| Occupation | Chef |
| Known for | Promoting Nepalese and Mithila food worldwide. |
| Notable work | Finalist in Masterchef UK 'The Professionals' - 2020, Winner of MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch Special - 2021 Masterjudge of CHEF NEPAL: Country's 1st Food Reality TV Show Mithila thali janakpur |
Early life
editSantosh grew up in Karjhana village of Siraha district, a small village outside of Kathmandu.[1] When he was nine, he started working as a labourer digging canals to support his family's financial needs.[6] When he was 14, he travelled to India for his first culinary job as a dishwasher in a five-star hotel.[7][8] It was at this point that Santosh realised his dream of becoming a chef. He worked under Executive Chef and CEO Vivek Singh for over two years, rising through the hospitality ranks in India.[9] Santosh received his Diploma in Hotel & Catering Management from the Institute of Baroda, India before travelling to London in 2010.[6][1][10]
Career
editSantosh worked at some of famous Indian restaurants in London including Dishoom and Michelin-starred Benares,[9] before becoming a sous-chef at Chef Vivek Singh’s Westminster hot spot, The Cinnamon Club.[2] Santosh worked at The Cinnamon Club for several years, before eventually becoming Head Chef at its sister restaurant, Cinnamon Kitchen, in the City.[11]
In 2018 Santosh was appointed at Executive Chef of the five-star LaLit Hotel in London, where he worked until his appearance on MasterChef in 2020.[12][9] He is currently working as the Head of The Cinnamon Collection.[1][2][13]
Media appearances
editSantosh first appeared on the UK’s reality cookery TV series MasterChef: The Professionals in 2020. He was runner-up in the series and was dubbed as the "People’s Champion."[14][11][15]
In 2021 Santosh competed in MasterChef: The Professionals re-match, where he was declared the winner.[3]
Awards and achievements
edit- Runner up: BBC's UK MasterChef: The Professionals 2020[1]
- Winner: BBC's UK MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch 2021[3]
- Presidential award from Nepal President for promoting Nepali food to the world 2021[16][17]
- The British Curry award for Restaurant Baluchi 2018[18][19]
- Conde Nast Award for best fine dining 2018[20]
BBC’s UK MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch
editSantosh won the UK's BBC MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch on 28 December 2021.The show was judged by Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti, and Greg Wallace. Santosh defeated three other contestants, two of them Philli Armitage-Mattin and Bart van der Lee, who also appeared on BBC's UK MasterChef: The Professionals in 2020 with Santosh. Santosh won the title by creating an 18-dish vegan feast inspired by the Dashain festival in Nepal.[3][21]
Cookbook
edit- Ayla: A Feast of Nepali Dishes from Terai, Hills and Himalayas, DK, ISBN 978-0241535776
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Yogi, Bhagirath (2020-12-15). "MasterChef final is dream come true for Nepal's Santosh Shah". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ a b c "Santosh Shah, who has brought Nepali recipes to the world, declared runner up at MasterChef Professionals". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ a b c d "MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch winner Santosh Shah makes 18 vegan dishes inspired by a Nepali festival". The Indian Express. 2021-12-30. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ "Santosh Shah wins Masterchef: The Professionals Rematch". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ Akinwumi, Stella (2021-12-27). "MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch crowns winner". Metro. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ a b ""You inspire others by learning, not teaching," Santosh Shah". Nepali Times. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ McCann, Jaymi (2020-12-17). "Who the MasterChef: The Professionals finalists are, and where to find their restaurants". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ Mackertich, Joe. "Get ready for a culinary trip across the Himalayas". Time Out London. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ a b c "The LaLiT London appoints new Executive Chef Santosh Shah". Hospitality and Catering News. 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ IJzendoorn, Patrick van (2018-12-04). "De Brexit zou de curry redden, maar daar merken deze restauranthouders niets van". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ a b "London chef Santosh hailed as 'people's champion' after losing out in MasterChef: The Professionals".
- ^ Dinneen, Steve (2018-09-05). "The Weekly Grill: Santosh Shah, executive chef at The LaLiT London, explains how the tandoor oven changed his life". City A.M. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ "Chef Santosh Shah enters finals of Master Chef UK: The Professionals". The Himalayan Times. 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ "MasterChef: Professionals fans praise Santosh as 'people's champion' after tightest ever finale". Metro. 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ "Chef Santosh declared runner up in Master Chef UK, Alex Webb wins". The Himalayan Times. 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ "Chef Santosh Shah Awarded by the Nepal Government". Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ "Chef Santosh Shah honoured with Suprabal Janasewa Shree-3rd". Hospitality, Food & Wine Magazine. 2021-09-20. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ Brennan, Ailis (2018-11-27). "British Curry Awards 2018: Baluchi and Chilli Tuk Tuk triumph over Michelin-starred competition". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ "Meet Santosh Shah, Executive Chef at the LaLit London". www.the-shard.com. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ Burakowski, Leon. "Travel review: East meets west to form the best at LaLit". Express & Star. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ Budhathoki, Bijeesha (2021-12-30). "Nepali food is on the world tour. It should be more inclusive as it accelerates the trip". Online Khabar. Retrieved 2022-03-03.