Santosh Shah
Santosh Shah is a Nepalese chef based on London, United Kingdom, known for competing in the UK’s reality cookery TV series BBC in 2020. Declared second runner up, Santosh is credited for popularising Nepalese cuisine in the UK. In 2021, Santosh once again, competed in the UK’s BBC MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch and was declared the winner. Early life. Santosh grew up in Karjhana, a small village outside of Kathmandu. When he was nine, he started working as a labourer digging canals to support his family’s financial needs. When he was 14, he travelled to  India for his first culinary job as a dishwasher in a five-star hotel. It was at this point that Santosh realised his dream of becoming a chef. He worked under Executive Chef and CEO Vivek Singh for over two years, rising through the hospitality ranks in India. Santosh received his Diploma in Hotel & Catering Management from the Institute of Baroda, India before travelling to London in 2010. Career. Santosh worked at some of famous Indian restaurants in London including Dishoom and Michelin-starred Benares, before becoming a sous-chef at Chef Vivek Singh’s Westminster hot spot, The Cinnamon  Club. Santosh worked at The Cinnamon Club for several years, before eventually becoming Head Chef at its sister restaurant, Cinnamon Kitchen, in the City. In 2018, Santosh was appointed at Executive Chef of the five-star LaLit Hotel in London, where he worked until his appearance on MasterChef in 2020. He is currently working as the Head of The Cinnamon Collection. Media appearances. Santosh first appeared on the UK’s reality cookery TV series in 2020. He was runner-up in the series and was dubbed as the "People’s Champion." In 2021, Santosh competed in MasterChef: The Professionals re -match, where he was declared the winner. BBC’s UK MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch. Santosh won the UK’s BBC MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch on 28th December 2021.The show was judged by Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti, and Greg Wallace. Santosh defeated three other contestants, two of them Philli Armitage-Mattin and Bart van der Lee, who also appeared on BBC’s UK MasterChef: The Professionals in 2020 with Santosh. Santosh won the title by creating an 18-dish vegan feast inspired by the Dashain festival in Nepal.