Kashmiri food entrepreneur Dr Rukshar Sayeed is one happy person today, six months after making her mark in the Master Chef India competition.Recently, she sat down with Brighter Kashmir to recall her passionate journey with food, the icing on the cake of which was her selection for a Master Chef scholarship. “Initially, when I received a call from Master Chef, I thought it was a prank call. When I got the call again from the same number, I informed was my husband. He too was shocked and thought it was a prank,” said Dr Sayeed. “I was the first female, in fact the first person from Kashmir to enter the Master Chef programme. I always wanted to be involved with a business linked to food and by entering this programme, I realised that I had a huge responsibility on my shoulders. For starting any business, I belief one should not invest too much. My journey with food started from the ninth class. I was very passionate about making different types of food, learning new techniques, read a lot of books on food and learnt how they are prepared, etc.”“After finishing school, I got myself admitted in a food technology graduation course at the Islamic University of Science and Technology in Awantipora, followed it up with an M. Tech and a PhD course in the same subject from Amity University. I got married while pursuing my PhD; I have two children, and then started a business by the name of Khalis Foods through which we provide a variety of unadulterated snack options for children and people of other age groups.” “I was quite busy with this venture when I got the call from Master Chef in June to take part in their audition. I had to take part in five auditions – two in Jammu and three in Delhi, and thereafter an audition in Mumbai, which all of you must have seen online or on TV,” Dr Sayeed said.She further revealed that she never thought in her wildest dreams that she would get a call from Master Chef, but having said that, she added that she has been following Master Chef programmes quite avidly, whether they are held in India, Australia, Canada, or even the United States. “To get a call from Master Chef was a very big thing for me; I was actually shocked and surprised to get it. In the family, we thought it was a prank, but then after further inquiries, we realised that this was the real thing and began our preparations accordingly,” she told BK. “It was not just about Master Chef, but since I was passionate about food, getting a chance to participate in a Master Chef programme was indeed a very big thing for me and my family. We saw it as a great opportunity,” she added. “Coming to the auditions,” Dr Sayeed said that all the auditions were held in major cities like Delhi and added that the first round saw the selection of a 100 contestants. Thereafter, the number of contestants kept going down; first to 40, then 22 and finally to 12. “I was lucky and happy to make it to the 12. From there, the real test began. As viewers, the pressure and excitement is enormous, but you can imagine how much more the pressure was on us as contestants. We had to work with ingredients which we had not seen in our lives before; we had to use new and unfamiliar techniques, face challenges from various chefs. For example, Chef Marco Pierre White gave us a challenge to work with one glass of water. We faced a number of challenges such as the home cook stay where all 12 of us who had a very strong hold on our respective regional cuisines. I am just happy to have passed all the tests successfully,” she said.She said that she was fully aware of the huge responsibility on her shoulders; that she had to represent the best of Kashmiri cuisine on the Master Chef programme. “My focus was on introducing the Kashmiri flavour in every one of my dishes from start to finish. I did a dish with quail and another with Pennacotta. There was a meat dish that was on the sweeter side, for which I received a lot of praise. I can say that I am satisfied with my efforts. My dish in the finale was called “Platter of Brotherhood”, which was a combination of Kashmir Pandit and Kashmiri Muslim dishes. There was Lamb Chops with Rogan Josh gravy, Baad Haak, Kashmiri rice with Dolmal, which is a delicacy, to name a few,” she added.“People wishing to pursue food as a career, or wanting to know more about food technologies and allied processes must understand that the scope for it in Kashmir is less. They would better off going out of Kashmir to pursue it. You can start any business with food, but begin on a small scale. Don’t over invest; check the environment and do a market study for your brand of food. Make a prototype, distribute it. You need the backing of your family to see that you don’t reach a point where you don’t have a roof over your head. There will be challenges and difficulties along the way, but it is important to stay the course and not lose your confidence,” Dr Sayeed concluded.