I am Chef Nandini Diwakar, I found my passion for cooking at a very early stage but I had never dreamed of being a very big star of culinary expertise, I have always worked with one passion that my dishes should reach every class of society even the unprivileged class as they are the once who are deprived of quenching their taste buds. As I had myself face these Hard Times, I didn’t want anyone else to feel the same way. Being a Daughter of a DHOBI (Washerman), yes you read it correctly and this with pride, it was a little hard for me to come out of this social stigma. The first challenge I faced was that I didn’t have a proper house where I can explore my expertise. Along with my Mother and Father, we were 5 sisters and we lived in a 600 sq. ft. room with no proper roof. My Father had always asserted that me and my sisters to keep Education as our primary goal. The next challenge I faced was proper equipment as I didn’t belong to a well-off family, so even dreaming of Modular Kitchen was itself a dream. After that comes the basic challenge of Raw materials i.e. Vegetables and spices. My Father had a very strict principle which he followed religiously. It was whenever he earned more than Rs. 500/- only the family will have food. Else we had to sleep empty stomach. Gradually things began to change and I started participating locally in a cooking contest. After losing at many cooking contests. Suddenly after a few months, I found out people have started to talk about my dishes and innovation that I was regularly experimenting on. As I had developed a craze of participating in Cooking Contest regardless of considering my competitor’s experience and vintage. Every time I participated, I worked out deeply and thoroughly about my shortcomings. Soon I started winning each one of the contests in that I participated. Not only winning, but even the competitors also started to know, what I made, and how I made it. When your competition starts praising you & learning from you, it means you are not only winning trophies, but you are also winning hearts. One day I was surfing Facebook searching for regular stuff. I found out about a contest named Lufthansa Cook & Fly Contest. It was an all-over India Contest and the reward was, that the winner will get a free Europe trip & his/her signature dish will be served on an in-flight menu of Lufthansa Airlines. Winning this contest was the most remarkable turning point of my life. As soon as the Winner announcements were declared, my name took the Internet by storm. I was 3 most googled searched person in India. I was awarded by the Governor of Lucknow. I was made Brand Ambassador of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Initiative by the Government of U.P. Also the Road was constructed in my name. Today, I honourably work as a consultant chef for Cafés & Restaurants, appear on TV shows, and conduct workshops. Even today my only source of Inspiration is my Father. He is the reason I stand strong today. I have been judged online and in live cooking contests.
My two cookery books have been published. In 2019 I participated Masterchef India Season 6…and finally, I have managed to my place in the Top 8 contestants all over India among all most 3 lacks participants. Before Masterchef, I was working in Molecule Gastro Air Bar Lucknow. Currently, I am a Brand ambassador of a Cafe Age19 Gomti Nagar Lucknow in Lucknow, also doing live, webinars, workshops, Cooking classes, and Brand promotions.
