Indian origin Singapore-born Sashi Cheliah won the coveted Masterchef Australia 2018 title in an intense finale of the latest seasons of the wildly popular cooking reality show. The 39-year-old Sashi took home the prize money of 250,000 Australian dollars, after defeating fellow contestant Ben Borsht. Sashi clocked a final score of 93 out of 100, against Borsht’s score of 77, in a season that saw some of the greatest chefs of all time as guest judges. Sashi originally hails from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and was serving as a prison guard in Adelaide. The season 10 winner has also served as a police officer in Singapore for 12 years. Sashi, who announced his win on social media recently, moved to Adelaide six years ago, with his wife and two sons.
Sharing a picture with the shiny Masterchef trophy and his family, an ecstatic Sashi said on Instagram, “My motivation, my strength and my support, love my family!!!!” In another post he announced that he was already on his way to using his win as a push to new ventures, saying, “Hi everyone… thank you very much for the huge support and love from all over world. I am so blessed and honoured. Love you so much…Some exciting new ventures are coming soon so stay tuned..” Sashi reportedly plans to use the prize money to start an Indian and Southeast Asian fusion restaurant and also work with ex-prisoners, in order to provide them with employment opportunities.
