Chef Shipra Khanna, once a downtrodden housewife to a celebrated chef now, is a household name post her glorious win in Masterchef India Season 2. The boss lady successfully has two cooking shows to her credit on Food Food channel and an online cooking show, Look I Can Cook on Watcho.
But the success didn’t come easy for her for once she led a fateful life at the mercy of her husband and in-laws. Dowry abuse, physical and mental torture by a sneering husband, and a divorce after 10-year long loveless marriage didn’t bog her down and she emerged triumphant and stronger than ever.
Back then, the era of reality-based cooking shows, where the contestants compete with each other for a title, were a new thing and met with an enthusiastic response. Let’s look at the 11 mind blowing facts about Chef Shipra Khanna to bow your head in respect for her:
- Chef Shipra Khanna was married off at the tender age of 19 by her parents to an Agra-based factory owner. Her 10-year old marriage ended in a bitter divorce.
- She is the mother of two kids. Elder daughter Yadavi, born with cerebral palsy, was the reason she honed her cooking skills to whip out home-cooked food for her since she was advised against eating out by doctors. Younger son Himank was born two years later.
- Chef Shipra Khanna is a psychology and economics graduate and schooled at Loreto Convent.
- Contrary to the fate of divorced women in India, her own mother sent her name as nomination for Masterchef India only to drag her out of depression.
- Shipra always had a penchant for cooking. Her affair with cooking began as early as the age of 9 years. Post marriage, she cooked for the entire family, mostly traditional Indian meals but the birth of her differently-abled daughter made her polish her cooking skills to feed her.
- Chef Shipra Khanna is a successful Restaurateur, Chef, Author, and, Anchor with a huge social media following.
- SAARC and SCWEC in Nepal awarded Chef Shipra Khanna with “Women Chef Taking Taste Beyond Borders” apart from other titles as “Himachali of the Year”.
- India Today quoted her as one of the “Youngest and Most Glamorous Chefs in the World”.
- She authored her first cook book “Sinfully Yours” that went on bagging the best cook book award at the World Gourmand Awards in 2017 in China, being the first ever Indian cook book to receive the honour.
- Her cooking show “Pure Sin” is India’s first and only dessert show to air on television ever.
- She is one of the few daring chefs in India known for her art of fusion cooking and being an ace at it. Few of her best-known fusion dishes are:
- Guliappa
- Rum Ball
- Pan Rasmalai
- Anjeer Chat
- Mountain Goat Masala