Born in Kashmir in September 1981 to parents Santosh &Kuldeep and like any ancient culture, food was central to everything he knew growing up a Kashmiri Pandit.
At the age of eight, he and his family were forced to move to South India, due to Militancy in Kashmir. At his new home in Bangalore, the going was tough, and his parents had to work very hard to rebuild their lives. His mom taught him how to reheat food and cook basic food like Dal, Rice and Tea. This was Sandeep’s first school of cooking and soon kitchen was his happy place.
Sandeep received rave reviews from legendary chefs like Rick Stein and was the first contestant in MasterChef Australia history, to win a Perfect 30 score and an Immunity pin. His Lobster Masala is considered one of the best dishes in the MasterChef Australia’s history and he was given the title of the best Indian cook in the 11 seasons of MasterChef Australia.
His skills in the kitchen, gave him the title of “The Spice Angel” by the Australian media.
Sandeep has been successful in his various food stints after the show, including sold out Pop Ups at restaurants. He also curated a special menu at the iconic Aussie Pub The Cricketers, at Port Melbourne and going beyond curries and curating Indian Bar Dishes called ‘Chakhna’ in a modern Aussie format.
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