She Cooked To Fly High & Beyond

Cooking is no more a mundane house chore. If you are passionate enough, it can give your dreams wings, literally as in the story of Nandini Diwakar from Lucknow. Nandini, who dreams to meet Chef Vikas Khanna one day, is a passionate and innovative cook who started experimenting in the kitchen while helping her mother from an early age. Never had she known that her interest to prepare green chutney and fried Dal would one day bring name, fame and laurels.

Dreams have no destinations and you can desire to fly as high as you want with your determination and will. Despite having any formal education/training in culinary arts, she kept moving and won many contests one of which gave her a chance to meet Master Chef Pankaj Bhadouria, Chef Ranveer Brar and Chef Kunal Kapoor. Her dedication and enthusiasm was appreciated by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and brought a bigger smile on her face when her recipe was selected to be part of the menu card of the “Yellow Chilli Restaurant”.

Her biggest achievement came when she was selected as one of the top 8 finalists of the “Lufthansa Cook & Fly” contest (a Pan-India contest organized by Lufthansa international).

The girl from the city of Nawabs – Lucknow, has a special corner in her heart for Awadhi cuisine and going with her instincts and sticking to her roots, she made “Murg Noore Bahara with Mawa Pulav”.

As destiny beckons, she was adjudged the winner of the Grand Finale and her recipe was loved by judges. A dream come true, she won 6 weeks of internship at Hotel Leela, Gurgaon and a business class ticket to fly to Europe. This has become the most cherished and unforgettable moment of her life.

Yes, there are many contests and many winners but this story needs a little more attention as she is the daughter of a local dhobi (washerman) and her father toiled hard and at times went against the society to bring up his 5 daughters.

What better example can it be for the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padao” initiative. Plattershare appreciates your courage to dream and is proud of you. “Nandini Diwakar”- A name, an inspiration who dared to dream high and fly even higher.