With the Masterchef franchise firmly in place in India, we decided to chat with one of the first Indian connections of the show: Masterchef USA ’s Indian-American contestant Sheetal Bhagat, who went on to become a semi-finalist.
We start with the obvious question — how did Masterchef change her life? Says Sheetal, “ Masterchef did change my life, but not in the obvious way you’d think. I was really struggling with a personal situation. I was brooding and was isolated from everyone I knew, my family and friends. I was struggling to maintain a relationship that I knew wasn’t right for me. I was involved with the wrong person, and moreover, the wrong family. Once that relationship ended, I found it difficult, because of the way it had ended, to find closure and move on with my life. I felt I had no choice but to turn the ‘camera’ on myself, and take a good, hard look at my life. Having to rely solely on myself to get through a hard time was not something I was accustomed to doing. The Masterchef opportunity gave me the ‘tools’ needed to make some much-needed changes. It kept me busy and fulfilled at a time when I needed that the most.”
Sheetal continues, “While being on Masterchef was a gift that has turned me around in the best way possible, I can’t say that my life has changed drastically. Sure, I’ve conducted some nice catering assignments that have made me happy. But I would say success has also come from the changes I’ve made in my personal life.”
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Sheetal met her husband Jonathan Heinert online. She says, “I chose to remove myself from the dating scene after I returned from shooting
Sheetal is also a musician of some acclaim. While she takes up the occasional catering assignment, she also has a parallel, thriving music career.
She is a regular opening singer for the American National Anthem at the Wrigley Stadium in Chicago, the most recent being for a Cubs game. Says the musician, “I spend my time working in Chicago as a recording artist and stage performer. I sing with several different groups, including pop, jazz and classical groups. I released an album back in 2004 called
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About her Indian connection she adds, “I was recently in India. In December last year, we went on a whirlwind tour to Kerala, Mumbai, Agra, Delhi, Vadodara and Ahmedabad. Regarding Indian music, I’m actually not so much into the Bollywood scene. But I’d love to work as a singer in Bollywood, given the right opportunity. I feel western music production in India is something I can contribute to. I’d love to work with a producer on a new album, but the sound would not be traditional Bollywood.”
And how about ‘catering’ to her roots in India? Sheetal concludes with a smile, “Though I do love food, and took a couple of cooking lessons while in India with chefs there, my heart is really in music. I spend my time and energy furthering my music career, and enjoy catering and teaching cooking classes when I am offered the time to do so.”