Life after MasterChef has changed for this home baker based in Kolkata. And recently, she got a taste of just how much, when she visited her hometown, Delhi, for the first time since being on the show, and after a gap of about 10 months.
Rising to fame on the show for her baking skills and humility, Priyanka Kundu Biswas was eliminated from MasterChef India Season 7 after reaching the Top 8. However, she left the show having won millions of hearts and with a faithful fan-base. Her fans follow all her social media updates — and they are some great posts – with lots of cake! Recently, Priyanka's vlogs of her Delhi visit kept her fans hooked to her feed.
Priyanka, who moved to Kolkata with her husband post their marriage, shared with My Kolkata her homecoming experience, where she received a grand welcome from family, friends, neighbours, and strangers.
Fans spotting and train journeys
“Oh my God! You are Priyanka from MasterChef?” yelled a co-passenger while another exclaimed how they loved her on the show. The celebrity home chef’s train journey was made special by the fans she met on board.
“We took the Rajdhani from Sealdah to Delhi. I was surprised to see the reaction of people on the train. MasterChef has been over for a few months now, and they approached me to tell me they were fans or that they loved me for the person I am. It was surreal, and I was not expecting that reaction,” said the dessert queen.
In her mini-vlog documenting the train journey, Priyanka talks about her love of train travel. However, this MasterChef is not a fan of the pantry food, so she packed goodies for her family, including sandwiches, snacks and a homemade Chinese bhel. “I love having munchies while travelling, and I prefer packing food from home, because I don't really like the food on the train,” she said in one of her vlogs.
A grand homecoming with family and friends
A ‘Welcome MasterChef’ sign outside the door greeted Priyanka at her Gurgaon home, “My mother welcomed me with a big smile. She was waiting with payesh and diya on a thali.”
After the traditional, heartwarming welcome from her mum, Priyanka was treated to a big MasterChef-themed surprise party, arranged by friends and family, before she took off for a family vacation to Kasauli.
Recalling the party, she said, “I went out with my husband to eat parathas and we came back to see all my family members and my best friends gathered. They decorated the living room with balloons and streamers, and each of them had a chef’s hat with the MasterChef logo on. There was also a huge cake with ‘Welcome home MasterChef Priyanka’ on it.” The baker went on to say that she was numb — ‘Pura numb’ as she wrote on Instagram — because that was the first time someone had planned a surprise for her. “They even had gifts for me. It was a magical feeling because I had no idea they had planned this.”
At the party organised by her best friends Pnkhuri and Ashmait and her sister-in-law, Priyanka also got a solitaire ring as a gift from family. “I have bought a diamond for myself, and when my family gifted me my first diamond ring for my success in the show, I felt really special,” she said.
Her friends also got her a large framed photo-collage of her best moments on the show. “It made me feel so special that I became emotional!”
Fooding around in Delhi
For the Delhi girl, the next priority (after family-time) was food! The foodie on a binge in Delhi, started with momos! “Momos in Delhi are very very different from what you get in Kolkata. Here they don’t serve soup, and it is served with different chutneys and mayonnaise. So when I came to Delhi, I had to have the momos,” she said.
The list was a lot longer than momos — from Delhi-wala chowmein to chole bhature, Delhi chaats, Raj kachori, tikkas, kebabs and tandoori chicken. “I went to Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Jama Masjid and there too the food binge was on,” Priyanka added.
While her food trail took her around the city, Priyanka said she didn’t miss out on the homemade Bengali delicacies. “Coming home to my mother’s homemade food was special. From muri ghonto to shutki machh er bata, I feasted on the dishes she made. She made everything I love, from aam dal to dim kosha, every day and I did not cook anything. I only enjoyed maa ke haath ka khana (food from mum’s hands). There was something new each day. Khete khete hapiye gechi (all the eating tired me out)!”
‘Delhi showered its love on me’
Priyanka’s visit to Delhi wasn’t just another trip to her parents’ home — the post-MasterChef fame followed her around the capital, including at her niece's school, where the teachers wanted to meet her.
“I was not expecting people to know me much in Delhi (as compared to Kolkata), but people recognised me everywhere I went. They stopped to talk and click selfies. It was an overwhelming feeling to experience it after so many days too. I feel so blessed to receive so much love. People told me that they do not love me for how far I went in the competition, but for the person I am. When I hear this, I feel so glad that people understand me and my thoughts,” she said.
After the pirates, trips and pet puja, Priyanka signed off with a healthy-eating pledge. “Now it's time to return to Kolkata and eat healthy for at least 100 days. Let’s see how successful I can be!”