Santosh Shah, a London-based chef, was crowned the winner of BBC One’s MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch, triumphing over three other competitors to win the title. 

Shah, 36, who was tagged “people’s champion” in last year’s series, was the only Nepali chef to partake in this major culinary show. 

The competition—starring judges Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti, and Gregg Wallace—was held with the prime purpose of giving former MasterChef Professional finalists another chance. 

Stepping back into the competition alongside Shah were fellow finalists from last year’s series, Armitage-Mattin and Bart van der Lee—and Jamie Park, who reached the finals in 2017.

Wowing the judges with Nepali cuisine, Shah bagged the first position with an 18-dish vegan feast inspired by the Dashain festival. The feast comprised of jackfruit steak, onion salad, rice crackers, green banana curry, sesame and chilli pickle, red yam, tempered grapefruit, spiced potato and pointed gourd, pilau rice with nuts and a rice puree or bread with hemp and smoked tomato chutneys, sun-dried chickpea leaf, mushroom dried curry and Nepalese black lentil daal.

“I was so delighted to be invited back into the MasterChef kitchen to cook again and had so much fun being reunited with Bart, Philli, and Jamie from the 2017 series. And to go home with the trophy was the cherry on the top – a moment I’ll never forget! I am so proud to be able to showcase Nepalese cuisine and continue my mission to put Nepalese food firmly on the map!” said Shah, in response to his win.