The seventh season of MasterChef India, which returned to television with celebrity chefs Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Garima Arora as judges, has set our hopes high. The cooking reality show premiered on Sony TV on January 2 and will air every weeknight at 9pm.

City-based auditions were aired in the first three episodes, where the three celebrity chefs selected 36 home cooks from Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru for displaying their skills inside the MasterChef India kitchen. In the fourth and fifth episodes, the 36 cooks slugged it out in a time-bound challenge to earn their apron and secure a spot in the Top 16.

Here are nine contestants out of the Top 16 who were the stars of Week 1:

Priyanka Kundu Biswas: A renowned cake artist from Kolkata, Priyanka prepared a moist Chocolate Cake with cinnamon-flavoured apples for the auditions. She named it ‘Bridge of Love’. The judges were floored by her finesse and she easily won her apron.

Nazia Sultana: This homemaker from Guwahati prepared a Japanese Souffle Pancake with stuffed vegetables and egg yolk, and served it with Hollandaise sauce. The judges loved her hospitable nature and were moved by the tales of her little daughter, who is also Nazia’s fiercest critic. Nazia hopes to represent the less-talked about Assamese traditional dishes in this competition.

Dyuti Banerjee: Dressed in a traditional red-and-white sari, Kolkata’s Dyuti Banerjee served Fena Bhaat with a Korean Congee twist. The judges asked Dyuti to wait outside with the dish – which left her heart-broken — before breaking into laughter and handing her the apron.

Avinash Patnaik: A PhD student from Odisha, Avinash is a cook by choice. He is currently working on floriculture and the effects of his experimentations could be seen in his audition dish — a modern take on a traditional Gaintha Pitha. He flavoured the dessert with Pandan leaves and served it with coral Jasmine-infused milk and Indian almonds. The judges were impressed by his innovation and presentation.

Urmila Asher aka Baa: The 78-year-old YouTuber from Mumbai lost three children to various ailments at an early age but that did not stop her from turning a new leaf. Urmila Baa prepared a Gujarati dish, Patra, and the judges were floored by its layers and intricacies. In the next challenge, Baa was the first contestant to make it to the Top 16.

Aruna Vijay: Aruna Vijay is a “proud Marwari” born and brought up in Chennai who is researching the micro-cuisines of Tamil Nadu. For the auditions, she cooked a French dessert-inspired Jigarthanda Panna cotta, served with Kuttu Parotta dumplings. In the challenge for securing a position in the Top 16, Aruna made a deconstructed version of Rasam Rice.

Deepa Chauhar: A homemaker from Bangalore, Deepa brought a slice of Sindh with her to MasterChef India. She cooked a Sindhi platter based on an old family recipe. Her dish comprised a portion of Kadhi Chawal and Aloo Tuk, garnished with okra and lotus stem chips. The judges were moved by her love for her culture and the balance of flavours in the dish.

Kamaldeep Kaur: For Kamaldeep, it was her junk-food-loving children who motivated her to come up with innovative dishes that were healthy. Her ‘Khatti Meethi Yaadein’ for the auditions was a dessert that included spicy tomato jam, yoghurt shrikhand and oats crumble. The judges loved the ensemble of various textures and flavours.

Santa Sarmah: A homemaker from Tezpur, Assam, Santa Sarmah came dressed in traditional Assamese attire and gifted gamchhas and ‘bhut jolokia’ chillies to the judges. For the auditions, though, she served three different types of Sushi — with stuffing made of butter chicken, sesame chicken and coriander chicken — although she hasn’t tasted sushi ever in her life.