Chef Vikas Khanna gave her the moniker ‘Queen of Desserts’, and she soon became the queen of everyone’s hearts — a fact that was evident when MasterChef India Season 7 contestant Priyanka Kundu Biswas was eliminated from the Top 8 with fans and supporters expressing their disappointment on social media.
My Kolkata caught up with Dum Dum girl, 32-year-old Priyanka Kundu Biswas, to know the story behind her journey from corporate employee to MasterChef contestant.
Priyanka on MasterChef India Season 7 with judges (from left) Garima Arora, Vikas Khanna, and Ranveer Brar Courtesy Sony India
Corporates to cakes
In 2015, Priyanka left her corporate job in an MNC because she realised it was not something she wanted to do. “I was 25 years old when I started working in a multinational company in Delhi and it was a hectic schedule. I was earning a lot of money but I realised there was no time to spend it. Gradually, I started feeling like it wasn’t for me and wanted to do something different,” said Priyanka, who left her job and told her parents that she wanted to bake cakes.
But she didn’t want to start without any training, so she started looking for places where she could learn baking. “The culinary institutes were expensive and for some of them, I had crossed the minimum age to apply. That is when I started watching YouTube videos and reading books on baking. I did not sell the first few cakes that I baked, I would make my family and friends taste them. Gradually, I gained confidence and satisfaction, and only then started accepting orders.”
Baking is an art
Belonging to a family of artists, Priyanka’s cakes turned out tasty and aesthetically pleasing. Priyanka’s cakes were in demand in Delhi’s CR Park, which is where her family is based. “My father and brother are artists. So even at home, we are quite artistic. For example, while describing colours, we don’t just say yellow, we usually mention the shade of yellow. This helped me with my cake designs. While I could get finesse to the flavours, there was art in the way the cakes looked.”
Priyanka’s family, who were sceptical after she left her job, started believing in her. “My parents began to realise that my decision to quit my job was not wrong. After seeing the demand for my cakes, my brother asked me to open a cafe and offered to invest in it. But I wanted to do it on my own. So I turned him down,” said the proud cake artist.
Priyanka got married in 2020 amidst the lockdown and moved to Kolkata’s Madhyamgram. Here, too, she continued baking and started taking classes. She specialises in celebration cakes, macarons, chocolates and various types of desserts.
Tryst with other cuisines
Born in a Bengali family based in Delhi, Priyanka recalls that her strict Bengali grandmother maintained the Bangaliyana at home through language and food. “My grandmother made it a rule that we could only speak in Bengali at home and our meals featured dishes from Bengali cuisine — the kind of food anyone in Kolkata or the rest of Bengal has every day. Dal, alu posto, maachh bhaat and all other complicated Bengali dishes were cooked by my mother and grandmother at home. So I never missed growing up in the culture.”
Her interest and quest for cooking multiple cuisines had her turning to YouTube videos and lots of reading. Priyanka used to visit bookshops and fairs and buy recipe books of all kinds.
In fact, Priyanka has brought diverse cuisines into the kitchen at her in-laws’ home. “My in-laws are very simple people and they don’t eat outside much. Bairer khabar (outside food) to them is biryani, rolls, and chop-cutlet. After coming here, I started cooking ravioli, lasagna, pizzas, etc. During the lockdown, I made momos, chicken tandoori and other dishes at home. My family calls these dishes habijabi and they know something special is cooking whenever I am in the kitchen.”
Foodie Priyanka eats almost everything and being a Bangaal she prefers jhal over mishti. After years of cooking and gaining knowledge about various cuisines, she has grown a palate for perfection — which according to her can also be a problem. “Many people ask me about my favourite restaurant and I find it difficult to pick one because the taste varies. Also, I think once you have high hopes for a certain place, if there is something off in the cooking even by a small margin, it disappoints you.” It is something that happens to her, said the cook. “I go to some place to eat and then end up finding fault because I hoped for perfection.”
Priyanka impressed the judges with her baking skills during her stint on MasterChef Courtesy Sony India
A fairytale called MasterChef
After getting featured as one of the top 10 Indian cake artists in the Cake Masters Magazine in 2020, it was Priyanka’s dream to be a part of MasterChef India. Her dream came true for the show’s Season 7 and she made it to the Top 16 with her cake dessert called ‘Bridge of Love’, which won over the judges and got her the apron.
“It was a dream-come-true moment for me. I always wanted to take part in the show and learn new things. I was highly inspired by the judges, especially chef Vikas who is so popular as a chef, yet so modest. Chef Ranveer Brar is a house of knowledge, while chef Garima is known for her discipline and innovations,” said Priyanka, who received countless compliments from the three MasterChef judges for her baking skills.
Not only did she reach the Top 8, but she also faced the challenges on the show with great zeal. “My most challenging — yet memorable — moment from the show was competing with chef Manav (Khanna). I was the only one to cook against a professional chef in the show and I gave my best.” Priyanka did not win the challenge but she took back the lesson of patience from the chef. “He was so calm and composed while working in the kitchen!”
Priyanka was applauded for her empathetic gesture for fellow contestant 78-year-old Urmila Jamnadas Asher. Looking back on the incident, she said, “Baa (as Asher was called on the show) had never made a cake in her life. I saw her struggling. We were running out of time but I wanted to help her. Competition is important, but I chose to show empathy first.”
Priyanka is back in Kolkata and back to pursuing her other love — dancing — while she continues baking delicious desserts Sourav Nandy
Looking forward
Back from the show, Priyanka says that she has been busy with her cake orders and classes. In between hectic schedules, she has been keeping up with dance — Priyanka is trained in Odissi and other dance forms and loves to dance — as well as giving interviews. “Life hasn’t changed very much but people recognise me now. I am receiving a lot of love from everyone and I feel blessed. I want to use this opportunity to expand my business and maybe start my own cafe in future. Hoping for the best!”