The feeling hasn’t sunk in: Ripudaman Handa

From a gym instructor to an amateur expert, 23-year-old Ripudaman Handa is on a journey upwards. He was crowned the MasterChef Kitchen Ke Superstar Season 3 winner on June 14.

From a gym instructor to an amateur expert, 23-year-old Ripudaman Handa is on a journey upwards. He was crowned the MasterChef Kitchen Ke Superstar Season 3 winner on June 14. “It feels like a dream come true. The feeling hasn’t sunk in yet,” says Handa. He says he has no plans on spending a crore that he won. “I have given the cheque to my parents. Right now, my focus is on the post-event commitments of MasterChef,” he says. Handa will also get the chance to write his own cookbook. It was Ripudaman’s hotel management course that helped him learn about food and nutrition and churn out healthy dishes on the show.

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While most winners plan to open a restaurant, which could be an option for Ripudaman too as he’s now a popular name, the young winner has no such ideas. “It’s not so easy to start a restaurant. One needs experience to run it well and I have just started. There is a lot I want to learn about cooking,” he says.

Ripudaman is the first male winner of MasterChef. Earlier seasons of the show had female winners. Did he feel anxious as his co-contestant Doyel Sarangi was a favourite and gave him a tough fight?

“During the last episode, I wasn’t thinking of any such thing. I was focussed on not messing up and finishing my dish in the best possible manner,” Ripudaman says.