Sashi Cheliah facts for kids

Sashikumar Cheliah (born 10 June 1979) is a famous Australian cook who was born in Singapore. He became well-known after winning the tenth season of MasterChef Australia in 2018.

Sashi Cheliah's Early Life

Sashi Cheliah grew up in Singapore. He went to Swiss Cottage Secondary School and ITE College, Yishun. He is the oldest of seven children in his family.

For 12 years, Sashi worked for a special police unit in Singapore called the Special Tactics and Rescue (STAR) unit. In this role, he learned how to handle difficult situations, help in rescue missions, and protect important people.

Sashi is married to Rabicca Vijayan, who is a nurse. They have two sons. In 2012, Sashi and his family moved to Adelaide, Australia.

Becoming a Chef: MasterChef Australia

Sashi's love for cooking started when he was young. He watched his mother, who owned a café, and his aunties prepare delicious family meals. His interest in food grew even more after he moved to Australia.

In 2018, Sashi was chosen as one of the Top 24 contestants for MasterChef Australia. He worked hard through many cooking challenges. On July 31, he reached the grand finale and won the show! He scored a record 93 points out of 100, which was a very high score.

Sashi returned to MasterChef Australia in 2022 for its fourteenth season. This season featured a mix of past contestants and new chefs. He finished in 19th place in that competition.

Sashi's Restaurants

After winning MasterChef, Sashi opened a special kind of restaurant called a "pop-up" in Melbourne. A pop-up restaurant is a temporary place to eat that serves food for a short time. His pop-up was called Gaja by Sashi, and it served tasty Singaporean dishes.

In November 2019, Sashi opened his permanent restaurant, also named Gaja, in his home city of Adelaide.