Pankaj Bhadouria Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Chef
Famous For	Winning the cooking show MasterChef India in 2010
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 172 cm in meters- 1.72 m in feet & inches- 5’ 8”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Debut	TV: MasterChef India Season 1 on Star Plus (2010)
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• In 2011, she delivered a lecture on Indian cuisines at the Cambridge University. • In 2011, she was the first MasterChef Winner to have an official MasterChef Cookbook. • In 2015, she was featured in the list of '9 People Who Made It Big After Participating In Reality Shows' by India times. [1]India Times • In 2016, she won the Outlook Social Media Kitchen Queen of the Year Award by Outlook Magazine. • In 2016, she won the Chef of the Year Award by Right Choice Award. • In 2018, she was honoured by the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind as ‘First Ladies.’ • In 2021, she won the Impact 2021 prize by Dainik Jagran. • In 2021, she won the Mission Shakti Award by UP Government and Femina. • She is the ambassador for the promotion of Olive Oil in India for a campaign called Olive Oil Revolution by the Spanish government.
Personal Life
Date of Birth	14 July 1971 (Wednesday)
Age (as of 2022)	51 Years
Birthplace	New Delhi
Zodiac sign	Cancer
Nationality	Indian
School	Kendriya Vidyalaya, New Delhi
College/University	Lucknow University
Educational Qualification	• Bachelor's degree in English • Master's degree in English literature [2]Pankaj Bhadouria- Linkedin • Bachelor's degree in Education [3]Your Story
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian
Hobbies	Travelling, dancing
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	25 April 1995
Family
Husband/Spouse	Charu Samarth
Parents	Father- Vinod Khanna Mother- Priya Khanna
Children	Son- Siddhant Bhadouria Daughter- Sonalika Bhadouria (Social media influencer)
Siblings	Brother- Name Not Known
Favourites
Food	Khichdi
Film	Bollywood- Jab We Met (2007), Devdaas (2002), Barfi (2012), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) Hollywood- Love Story (1970)
Song	Firework by Katy Perry
Holiday destination	New York
Book	The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Style Quotient
Car Collection	• She owns a Volvo S90. • She owns a BMW. • She owns a Ferrari

Some Lesser Known Facts About Pankaj Bhadouria

• Pankaj Bhadouria is an Indian chef who is known for winning the Indian cooking show MasterChef India on StarPlus in 2010.

• In an interview, she talked about her MasterChef journey, and said,
  

  MasterChef was a turning point in my life. My first selection to the top 12 was a challenging one that awakened the dormant competitive spirit in me! From there on, there was no looking back. I got into the “danger zone” only once throughout the journey, but sailed through it. I was more determined to win and with God’s grace, I did.”

• Pankaj’s parents were chefs, and she gained interest in cooking at the age of twelve. Her father died when Pankaj was thirteen years old, and she lost her mother when she was twenty-two years old.
  

  Pankaj at the age of eleven

• In 2010, Pankaj left her sixteen-year-old job as a teacher at City Montessori School, Lucknow to participate in the show MasterChef India. In an interview, she talked about it and said,
  

  I started my career as a school teacher teaching English to ISC classes. The call for the MasterChef audition on television was the turning point in my life; this prompted me to go for it and later to quit my job of 16 years.”

• She has hosted the TV shows Chef Pankaj Ka Zayka on StarPlus, Kifayati Kitchen on Zee Khana Khazana, 3 Course with Pankaj on Zee Khana Khazana, Rasoi se- Pankaj Bhadouria ke Saath on ETV, and Sales Ka Baazigar on ETV.
  

  Pankaj as a judge in the show ‘Sales Ka Baazigar’

• She wrote the first cookbook ‘MasterChef India’ in 2011. Later, she wrote other cookbooks like Barbie- I am a Chef, Chicken from my Kitchen, and The Secret’s in the Spice Mix.
  

  Pankaj’s cookbook ‘Chicken from my Kitchen’

• On 16 August 2012, she opened her own culinary academy in Lucknow that provides professional as well as certificate courses.
  

  Pankaj Bhadouria’s culinary academy

• On 24 December 2012, she created New Delhi’s largest sandwich in an event called ‘Be a Hero.’
  

  Pankaj’s Facebook post about making the largest sandwich

• In 2015, Pankaj’s husband, Charu was accused of beating and threatening two Nepalese children, Bahadur, and Krishna. ^[4]Amar Ujala

• She has featured in many prints and TV ads for the brands that include Knorr, Taaza Tea, Eastern Masala, Samsung Smart Oven, Kent Juicer & Pasta Maker, Sensodyne, Reliance Fresh, Kelloggs, and Tefal.
  

  Pankaj in Knorr soup ad

• She has participated in various talks that include TEDx seminar IIT-BHU, Varanasi, TEDx Indus Business Academy, Bangalore, TEDx IMT, Hyderabad, TEDx IIM, Shillong, and International Youth Forum for Policy, Change and Development at Sharda University, New Delhi.
  

  Pankaj during the TED talks

• She also participated in social service by training the children at a railway station in skill development.
  

  Pankaj teaching children from the railway station

• She owns two cafes in Lucknow, Tramp Tree Cafe, and Cafe by Default.
  

  Pankaj at her cafe ‘Cafe by default’

• In an interview, she talked about how much her family supported her while she participated in the show MasterChef India. She said,
  

  It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my mom-in-law. She is like a rock, manages everything in my absence. Once while shooting I was missing my family and my mom-in-law immediately came with my son to Mumbai and spent four-five days with me. My husband is very supportive too; I turn to him for any kind of advice. My children are so proud of me when they get to hear good things about me from outside and their friends.”

• In an interview, she talked about how women were also choosing cooking as their career. She said,
  

  Now if you see, a lot of women can be seen as professional chefs. But, yes, earlier was a different case. This is true with every other profession. Earlier girls were not allowed to step out for a long time.”

• In an interview, she said that to keep her weight in control she works out regularly.
  

  Pankaj working out at the gym

• She is an avid dog lover and often posts pictures of them on social media.
  

  Pankaj posing with her dog

• She is often seen posting pictures of the food items that she cooks on social media.
  

  Pankaj’s Instagram post about the food items cooked by her