Sashi Cheliah wins MasterChef 2018 with record highest score from judges
SASHI Cheliah has won MasterChef 2018 with the highest score in the show’s 10-year-history. And he has revealed the secret ingredient behind his stunning success.
KIDS in the kitchen are the secret ingredient for South Australia’s MasterChef winner and new record-holder Sashi Cheliah.
The 40-year-old father of two from Adelaide on Tuesday night secured the 2018 title with the highest score in the show’s 10-year-history.
It was also the most one-sided MasterChef grand finale ever.
Singapore-born Sashi finished with an impressive 93 out of 100. That was 16 points ahead of the runner-up, Brisbane builder Ben Borsht, 31, who scored 77.
Giving up his day job as a prison officer to pursue his “food dream”, Sashi is the second South Australian to win the Channel 10 cooking competition, after Adam Liaw in 2010.
In the tradition of MasterChef, Sashi and Ben’s families were watching the cook-off from the gallery.
Among the onlookers were Sashi’s sons Marcus, 12, and Ryan, 10, who he laughingly said were initially “stressing” him with their inquisitiveness.
“They look up to me, they see me as their role model, so I thought I should not crack under pressure in front of them,” Sashi said.
But the boys were his lucky charm because he achieved a perfect score from all three judges — George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan — for his first dish of sambal prawns.
“It’s very hard to get a perfect score … it was my best dish (in the series),” Sashi said.
Taking the lead by 16 points, Sashi was feeling confident going into the second and final round — a “counting sheep” dessert pressure test set by British chef Heston Blumenthal.
But what really gave him the edge was the presence of family, including the “sweet surprise” of his mother Santha and aunt Tamilmani, who had travelled from Singapore.
“I was 10 or 11 when I started learning … whenever they were cooking in the kitchen, I would just go and hang out and watch what they did,” Sashi said.
As well as securing the title, Sashi has won $250,000, which he plans to eventually invest in his own SA restaurant specialising in Indian and South East Asian cuisines.
“I also want to work with ex-prisoners to provide assistance, rehabilitation and opportunities to obtain employment in the food industry,” he said.
Describing MasterChef as a “school”, Sashi said he had honed his culinary skills thanks to the judges, mentor Shannon Bennett, guest chefs and contestants, including his friend Ben who was “such a genuine gentleman”.
Sashi was also overwhelmed by the support he received from everyday Australians who had adopted him “as part of their family”.
“In the street, everybody knows me by my first name … kids are coming up to me.”