Who is MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 chef, Hira Thakur?

introducing Hira Thakur, one of 32 chefs taking part in MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 competition, airing on BBC One every Tuesday and Wednesday for six weeks from November 10th.

Hira is a senior sous-chef at fine dining restaurant Six in Trent Bridge, Nottingham and a contestant on MasterChef: The Professionals 2020. 

Full name

Hira lal Thakur

Nickname 

Diamond

Age

34

Where are you from / where do you live? 

I am from a small village in India near Shimla in the Northern state of Himachal Pradash.

Are you married/in a relationship/do you have children?

I am married and have twin daughters. I met my wife Louise Sinclair in Goa, when I was working there as a waiter and she was on a family holiday.

What type of a chef are you? 

I am very competitive chef.

Do you have a favourite type of cuisine? 

I love Asian cuisine and I am particularly fond of Japanese food. My style is modern cooking with my own Asian twist.

How did you become a chef?  (e.g. formal training, apprenticeship, self-taught)

I started cooking with my mum, that’s where my love of cooking came from. When I moved to the UK, I signed up for a professional chef course at Nottingham College.

Where have you worked?

Baresca, The Cumin, Chino Latino, World Service as well as a few days at Tom Story in London. Now I am senior sous at Restaurant Six.

Who are your mentors/role models/people you look up to, in your professional and/or personal life?

People I look up to are Daniel Humm from Eleven Madison park and Gaggan Anand from the eponymous restsaurant in Bangkok, Thailand.

What is your guilty pleasure dish (not necessarily cheffy, cheesy baked beans on toast is a perfectly respectable reply!)? 

When i am really hungry, Bombay bad boy pot noodles!

What is the best thing / worst thing about being a chef?

The best thing about being a chef is creating so many amazing dishes - cooking is science! I wouldn't say there is a worst thing because I love cooking,

How did 2020 compare you what you thought it would be this time last year?

Covid-19 messed up so many things, but I have been positive and cooking lots and training.