Chef & food My food story— —August —’24 36 NEHA DEEPAK SHAH “A recipe has no soul; you, as a cook, bring soul to the recipe” Born in Mumbai, also known as ‘The City of Dreams’, a young Neha Deepak Shah dreamt of accolades, opportunities, and a full-fledged career each time she entered her home kitchen. Having nurtured a love and passion for cooking at a young age, she was determined to make her mark in the culinary world. As a student, she was fascinated with subjects such as science and engineering – but her heart sang for the culinary arts. Although she was a vegetarian, nothing deterred her from pursuing a career that revolved around food. She soon decided to pursue a degree that would combine her love for science and food, and she began pursuing a degree in Food Science and Technology. Upon graduating in 2010, her job as a Research Scientist took her to India’s capital, Delhi, where she worked in a leading FMCG organization. She also received the opportunity to collaborate with International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) as a Flavorist – a significant honor and testament to her talents as Neha was one of the 600 flavorists in the world. Her stint as a flavorist exposed her to training and mentorship sessions by some of the most acclaimed names in the industry. To date, flavor pairing is one of Neha’s strengths in the kitchen and has greatly shaped her cooking style over the years. While juggling the roles of research scientist and flavorist, Neha never forgot her love for cooking. She would often pack lunches for herself and end up sharing her meals with eager colleagues. Their praise and support motivated her to keep mastering dishes and culinary techniques. Upon the insistence of a colleague, Neha signed up for MasterChef India, and there has been no looking back since. Joining the show’s 4th season, she emerged from the trenches and secured the ‘First Runner Up’ title in the show – earning name and fame throughout the country. That was the first of her reality television stints as she went on to play host for cooking shows such as Made in Gujarat, Global Flavours, FoodXP, TravelXP and Jashn-e-Daawat through different stages of her culinary career. Her victory and experiences provided all the motivation for her to kickstart a new journey – one that involved lots of cooking and abundant traveling. Quitting her corporate career in 2015, she set out to live her dream as a chef. Amongst many goals, one of her primary aims was to showcase the vast potential of vegetarian cooking. Garnering a loyal and enthusiastic following on social media, Neha now shares innovative sweet and savory recipes and impressive photographs of her latest adventures. When she is not cooking, eating, or traveling, one can find her getting abreast of the latest global culinary trends. With the help of progressive fusion recipes, she has crafted unique flavors and techniques. Achieving the dream of many chefs, she co-founded two restaurants in the city of Jaipur, which showcase food from different parts of India and the world. Her love for content creation also pushes her to share her favorite recipes and cooking secrets with her social media community. Resorting to content creation during the 2020 pandemic, Neha now actively enjoys posting new content and experimenting with various formats, styles, and content creation techniques. It has helped her reach audiences outside India as well. Naming Tarla Dalal, Heston Blumenthal, and Yotam Ottolenghi as some of her inspirations, she continues mastering new recipes and techniques within the kitchen and demystifying the art of cooking for many across social media. A long-standing ambition of hers is to publish a cookbook that not only explores Indian and international cuisines but also facilitates the culinary journey of young aspiring chefs. A mantra she firmly believes in and shares avidly is, “A recipe has no soul; you, as a cook, bring soul to the recipe.” Neha Deepak Shah’s childhood love for cooking propelled her to hold the coveted title of MasterChef India. Also a Flavorist she has an enviable social media community following that accompanies her through her food and travel escapades
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