Profile
Being India’s first Masterchef was just the start of Pankaj Bhadouria’s professional culinary career. Though the show made her a household name in the country, her charm and passion for cooking opened varied avenues around the world.
Varli Food Festival
An invitation to be part of New York’s Varli Food Festival in April 2011 was all what Pankaj needed to take Indian flavours overseas. There she shared the centre stage with some of India’s leading chefs. Her immense popularity saw her being invited to the Varli Food Festival once again in April 2012!
Cambridge University and the UK
In July 2011, the world famous Cambridge University invited Pankaj to address the South-asian community in Britain. The platform, on the hallowed grounds of the university, gave her the opportunity to demonstrate Indian foods for health conscious people. She also managed to break the general British myth that Indian food is all about spicy curries and Chicken Tikka Masala.
At the invitation of MRC-Medical Research Council, UK, Pankaj conducted a workshop in London in which she shared healthy Indian recipes with the audience.
This was followed up by a prestigious assignment from, none other than, the British Broadcasting Corporation. In the month of October 2012, Pankaj shot with UK’s top chef, Rick Stein who was touring India for his BBC series – The Search for the Perfect Curry. She introduced Rick Stein to the delicate flavours of the Awadhi Cuisine. It was telecast as a part of the 6th episode of Rick Stein’s India on BBC 2 and later on Fox TV, Discovery, & TLC.
National and International Presence
Pankaj has been invited regularly to several international and national events where she has conducted workshops in her inimitable style. The following is just a small list of her national and international appearances.
- Indian food workshop at the Oberoi Hotel, Dubai
- Masterclass with Chef Gary Meighan, at the World On A Plate food festival held in June 2016 in Bengaluru. Chef Meighan is one of the judges at MasterChef Australia.
- Children’s Culinary Workshop at the International Kitchen during the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, 2017.
- Gourmet Culinary Experience on Indian Cookery at the International Kitchen during Abu Dhabi International Book Festival, 2017.
- At the BMW Experience Tour, Pankaj shared gourmet Indian food with the audience.
- Sharing of some of her delicious recipes at a food festival in The Indian’s Delight restaurant in Muscat.
- Showcasing selected recipes at Mithaas, one of the top Indian restaurants in New Jersey.
- 6-city Ramzan Special Tour for Western Union Money Transfer.
- 10-city tour for Alchem Alfa, a leading pharmaceutical brand of India.
- 10-day long food festival in Hotel Marriott, Bengaluru.
- Month long food festival in Barbeque Nation, Chandigarh and Mohali.
- Food Festival at Urban Spice, New York City.
Social Media Queen
Pankaj’s popularity has helped her reach out to many. She has more than 3 million people following her on social media.
