Sakshi Tripathi: Her journey from a top three contestant at MasterChef Junior 2013 to opening her own restaurant

In a candid chat with ParentCircle, she talks about running her own restaurant, her experiences with reality television, her family's support, her first dish and her dream of participating in and winning the coveted MasterChef India title.

Q. When did you start cooking? Do you remember your first dish?

A. I started cooking at the age of five. I still remember the first time I cooked a dish, only because the story has a funny twist to it. I had baked cupcakes which, unfortunately, got burnt, but I didn't know that when I gave my father some to taste. He did not utter a word about the cakes being burnt and instead praised my cooking. Later, my father and I had a hearty laugh over it.

Q. Who did you learn cooking from?

A. I am not a trained cook and have never attended any classes. All that I have learned about the art of cooking, is from my sister and grandmother. Of course, my mother helped me a lot later.

Q. What have you been doing after MasterChef Junior 2013?

A. A lot has happened, literally! I have opened a restaurant in Lucknow. It is called Raj Gharana: The Heritage Food Villa and specializes in different types of cuisine. I wanted to serve food from other parts of India to the people of Gujarat. So, our menu has an interesting mix of Rajasthani, Gujrati and Punjabi dishes.

Q. Any memorable moments from MasterChef Junior 2013?

A. There were a lot of interesting and memorable moments! I got the opportunity to meet and interact with several celebrities. After the show ended, I became a celebrity myself and people would come up to me asking for my autograph or a selfie! The whole experience felt good, I must admit. There were a few tough moments on the show, but with family support, I was able to sail through them.

Q. What has been your toughest challenge so far?

A. There have been many, to be honest. Initially, people would be shocked when I said that cooking is my favorite hobby. Also, my father was not too happy because he wanted me to focus on my studies instead of cooking. He was also worried about me handling sharp objects in the kitchen. Despite these challenging situations, my sister and mother were my biggest support. My sister, Shradha Tripathi is one of my biggest strengths.

Q. Who is your favorite chef?

A. My favorite chef is Chef Jolly, who was one of the judges on the show. He used to support me a lot on the show and even used to call me Jhansi Ki Rani. In fact, during difficult situations, it was his words of encouragement, among other things, that egged me on.

Q. Do you believe that tasty can be healthy?

A. Of course. Tasty can be healthy and vice versa. There are many different perceptions regarding healthy eating - it should be bland, it should be steamed or baked with no oil and so on. In my opinion, it is healthier to have variety in food, but within limits.

Q. What are your future plans? Any advice to the young children out there who aspire to become chefs?

A. I want to be a doctor when I grow up. However, cooking is still my passion and I want to compete in and win MasterChef India. My advice to all aspiring chefs would be to pursue whatever you are interested in despite obstacles you face. Trust me, success will eventually follow.