His passion for cooking had to face a lot of obstructions, but after "MasterChef-Kitchen Ke Superstars" happened to him, Ripu Daman's life has completely changed and now he dreams only of vegetables and food.
It was just by sheer chance that Ripu came to know about the auditions for MasterChef. Now, he has secured his spot in the top three finalists, who also include Navneet Rastogi and Doyle Saragi.
The grand finale will be aired June 14 on Star Plus.
"I did not even know that there was an audition happening. I was at my brother's place and my sister-in-law told me that there is an auditioning happening. I just asked her for the details and went for the auditions," Ripu told IANS.
"I just knew chef Sanjeev Kapoor then, I didn't know who are the other two judges (Vikas Khanna and Kunal Kapoor). This competition has changed my life and my personality. Now I only dream of vegetables and food ... I think my knife is my wife," he added.
The 23-year-old's family was completely unaware that he's participating in a cooking show.
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"They got to know only after I reached the top 12. My mother did not even believe that it was true," he said.
On the show, his biggest threat was Nisha Verma, who got eliminated mainly because she had an experience in food "way more than my age".
"Navneet was just great. He has his own catering and Doyle is a housewife. So, I think this is something that sets me apart from all of them," he added.
Talking about the show, he said the "competition has changed his life and personality", it helped him to "gain confidence".
"Before this show I couldn't even talk to any strange person, but today I can talk to anyone without any fear. I just talk openly to everyone," he added.