Sashi Cheliah

Singaporean-born Australian cook

Rabicca Vijayan

(m. 1997)

Sashikumar Cheliah (born 10 June 1979) is a Singaporean-born Australian cook. He was a contestant on the tenth series of MasterChef Australia in 2018, eventually winning the show.

Cheliah was born and raised in Singapore where he attended Swiss Cottage Secondary School and ITE College, Yishun. He is the eldest of seven children.^[1] For 12 years, Cheliah worked for the Special Tactics and Rescue (STAR) unit of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), where he trained in tactics, rescue operations, counter terrorism, kidnappings and high-profile protection in the riot police.^[2] Cheliah is married to Rabicca Vijayan, who works as a nurse. They have two sons.^[3] The family moved to Adelaide in 2012.^[4]

Cheliah's interest in food began by watching his mother, who owned a café, and his aunties prepare family meals. His interest in cooking grew further after he moved to Australia.^[4] Cheliah was selected in the Top 24 to contest MasterChef Australia in 2018. He reached the finale on 31 July, which he won with a record 93 points out of 100.^[5]^[4] In 2022, Cheliah returned to compete on the show's fourteenth season, which featured a mix of returning contestants and new contenders. He finished in 19th place.^[6]

Cheliah started a pop-up restaurant named Gaja by Sashi in the Melbourne CBD, serving Singaporean dishes.^[7] In November 2019, Cheliah opened his restaurant Gaja in his home town of Adelaide.^[8]

References

^ "Sashi Cheliah". tenplay. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
^ "9 Sashi Cheliah Facts As Singapore Celebrates His MasterChef Australia Victory". mustsharenews.com. August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
^ "Singapore-born Sashi Cheliah crowned MasterChef Australia champion". Retrieved 6 September 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Singapore-Born Home Cooks Wins MasterChef Australia S10 - Star2.com". star2.com. 1 August 2018. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
^ "Highest score ever: Sashi Cheliah crowned 2018 MasterChef winner". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
^ "Chef Sashi Cheliah, MasterChef Australia 2018 winner, on how cooking has changed his life in more ways than one". The Indian Express. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
^ "MasterChef winner Sashi Cheliah is opening a pop-up restaurant". timeout.com. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
^ "Gaja by Sashi set to open on Pirie Street". CityMag. 29 October 2019.