The Super Chef Stories: Parables from the beaches

As we entered the last few audition rounds of Rupchanda-the Daily Star Super Chef 2015, participants knew this would be the very last chance they would have to make it. Thus, both the written and practical rounds were hardly fought. When the dust had settled, the winners emerged and brought with them tales of inspiration, something that we could all perhaps learn from. This week, we take a look at some of the stories of the participants from Chittagong and Cox's Bazaar, tales which help explain the immense aspirations that people correlate with Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef.

Sabrina Akther, a winner from Chittagong, was one of the first to get the 'Yes' cards from the port city. Following her mother around while she went about doing the housework, Sabrina learned everything she knows about cooking, aachal in hand. “As a younger daughter, I used to tail my mother like a shadow. I wanted to be like her and watched as she went about her business, learning whatever I saw,” Sabrina recalled. As she grew older, it was cooking that Sabrina developed a passion for. “Whenever I enter the kitchen, I want to try to make something unique, something different,” she said. Sabrina knows the competition well, having tried out for it before when she made it to the second round. “I couldn't continue because I had a fever and though I came underprepared, Shawkat Osman, one of the judges at the time, really appreciated my cooking and from then I knew I needed to come back here and try again,” she said.

IffatNawshin, another participant from Chittagong and an interior designer by profession said things along the same lines but explained a greater purpose behind her participation. “I always liked cooking and like most girls in this country, I had to learn anyway but soon it developed more into a hobby than a chore,” she explained. When queried about how far she saw herself going in this competition, Iffat said that it wasn't the accolade that was the most important but rather the competition itself. “Competition isn't about winning and being the best. This is not how I see Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef, because first of all, this is an amazing platform. There are many women in this country who are not able to work but this platform allows them to demonstrate their skills and their talent in the best way possible and I really wanted to be a part of the history that is being made here,” she said. Iffat too is no stranger to the competition, having joined in the first edition of the competition and becoming part of the top 18 from Chittagong. “I do not like following just recipes but rather creating fusions of Bangladeshi and Western dishes,” she informed. Perhaps her creativity could see her all the way to the crown.

Ruhi Mehnaj from Cox's Bazaar, also had an interesting tale to share. She informed that she began following the competition religiously when last year's winner and her college mate, UmmeKulsum, joined the competition. “Since I knew her personally, I really took an interest in her journey and when she won, I was not only happy but also inspired to be part of such a great competition,” she said. RuhiMehnaj, like so many others, learned her cooking from her mother, whom she considers the best chef in Bangladesh. “Learning from my mother, I tried to always be experimental in my approach to dishes. I opt for fusion but taste can never be compromised for me,” she said. RuhiMehnaj learned under the tutelage of her mother but more importantly, she also voraciously consumed and gleaned knowledge from television shows, learning more cuisines than could be taught here. “If I win, I want to open a restaurant in my mother's name. I want to showcase her recipes for everyone to taste,” Ruhi said, aware that having the Super Chef credentials behind her would help shoot her restaurant to fame. It would also be indeed the best dedication to her mother possible.

These are just few of the many tales this competition has yielded. As we move forward, more stories will be uncovered and the faces you see behind the screens will become even more real. That is perhaps the most important aim of Rupchanda-The Daily Star Super Chef; to tell the stories of the people that make the competition what it is while bringing together the best culinary minds of Bangladesh.

Photo: Md Kawsar