Masterjudge of CHEF NEPAL: Country's 1st Food Reality TV Show
Mithila thali janakpur
Santosh Shah is a Nepalese chef based in London, known for competing in the UK's reality cookery TV series BBCMasterChef: 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]
Early life
Santosh 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
Santosh 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 living and working in Nepal owning multiple restaurants brand called Mithila thali and Ayla by santosh shah, he was Head of The Cinnamon Collection.[1][2][13]
Media appearances
Santosh 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]
Santosh 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
Ayla: A Feast of Nepali Dishes from Terai, Hills and Himalayas, DK, ISBN978-0241535776
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