“Your story made India richer,” were chef Vikas Khanna’s words to Avani and Venu Sharma on tasting their Argane on MasterChef India season 9. When it was Chef Kunal Kapur’s turn to give them feedback, he simply asked the father-daughter duo for the recipe. A sweet, spicy, tangy chutney cooking in the kitchens of Karada Brahmins for 600 years has, like many other dishes, remained hidden in plain sight from the rest of India. That was until Avani Sharma and her father, Venu Sharma, participated in MasterChef India S9 and introduced the world to a slice of our own culinary history.
600-Year-Old Karada Cuisine Comes To Bengaluru
Avani Sharma’s 5-course Karada Cuisine pop-up in Bengaluru began with an invocation of her ancestors. Umbara (Karada-style crisp), prepared in the memory of the departed, was the amuse bouche. She inherited the heirloom recipe from her late grandmother.
Kelothsava, a festive plate of raw banana nuggets tossed in Argane, the highly addictive chutney that seduced MasterChef judges, was polished in no time. Each came with an anecdote, passionately narrated by Chef Avani, an artist, storyteller and a woman on a mission to preserve and champion Karada cuisine. A culinary treasure that once belonged to a tiny community of 15,000 Karada Brahmins is now being generously shared beyond the kitchens.
MasterChef India’s Avani Sharma Chats With Curly Tales
In an exclusive interview with Curly Tales, Avani Sharma spoke about the origins of Karada cuisine, cooking with her father, Venu Sharma, on MasterChef India, their heartbreaking elimination, and the path to making her dream of seeing Karada cuisine on restaurant menus come true.
As a custodian of Karada cuisine, tell us the history of your community and how your upbringing has shaped your journey.
Karada Brahmins find their roots in Kashmir. From Kashmir, the community migrated south and is now settled in Kasaragod (Kerala), Coorg (Karnataka) and in parts of Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Maharashtra. In fact, Maharashtra has a place called Karada where a large part of our community resides.
Karada cuisine dates back 600 years and has Maharashtrian and coastal influences. Since I hail from a family of Sanskrit lecturers and farmers, we’ve thrived on farm-to-table meals where most ingredients are sourced from our farmlands.
We are a large joint family of 65 members, living together in a spacious ancestral home in Kasaragod. With six halls and eight rooms, our home has been shared by four generations. So, my cooking is influenced by my extended family, and I give them credit for it.
What motivated you to participate in MasterChef India?
I was an avid fan of MasterChef India, but I never imagined applying for it. The MasterChef casting team noticed my cooking videos on Instagram and approached me for an audition. I first thought it was a scam. I wondered: Why would the MasterChef team want someone like me involved in village-style cooking and a cuisine they don’t understand?
But I think that’s exactly what caught their attention. I was told Karada is a cuisine many people have never seen or even heard of, and that they’d love for us to represent it on the show.
How was the experience of cooking with your father, Venu Sharma?
I was just reminded of those parent-teacher meetings at school. As kids, we’d nervously bring our parents along, wondering whether the teacher would praise or complain about us.
On MasterChef India, it was completely ulta (opposite).
My dad was worried about whether his daughter would scold him, tell him, “That’s not the right way to do it.”
As a total foodie, he was very interested in participating in the show as my partner.
Initially, I approached my husband and my mum. Both refused. My husband joked that if he’d start peeling an onion, he’d take the entire show to finish it. Mum is camera shy, so being part of reality TV was out of the question for her.
When it comes to dad, he is full of energy and has experience cooking. My parents have always shared kitchen duties. At our home, mum, a homemaker, would help dad with his business, and my dad would cook for us when mum travelled to her native place.
Somewhere down the line, my dad has inspired not just me but my husband, Pranav, as well. He is my critic, best friend and my go-to person, where our relationship is built on friendship. So, who better to take on the show as my partner?
Your elimination was unexpected. Take us through that moment.
In the last 10 seconds (of the challenge that got us eliminated), I forgot to plate the pawns, part of Chef Kunal Kapur’s challenge. At that moment, my dad and I realised it could be our last day in the MasterChef kitchen as we presented an incomplete dish.
We made peace with the consequence.
But what made me very emotional was that my dad felt he had failed me.
Fellow contestants, people behind the camera, spot dadas, makeup artists, hairdressers, the food team, who’d set the ingredients in the pantry… they were all shocked at our elimination. Many broke down in tears.
The watchman at our studio, set in Mumbai, shook my hand emotionally and said, “Dil toot gaya (My heart broke).”
How did we connect with so many people?! It’s all God’s grace!
How did you pick yourself up after the elimination?
It took a while. I took one month off from everything to just reset and ease my way to regular life.
Nobody expected us to get eliminated so soon. Not even the other contestants. They were sure we’d make it to top 5. Even the judges believed we had the potential to go a long way. We were the first to win the immunity pin, and we didn’t part with it in a lot of challenges.
I remember Chef Ranveer Brar loved the Appam and Bendi. Our Karada cuisine’s Argane, (spicy chutney made with tamarind, jaggery, Kashmiri red chillies) will be featured in Vikas Khanna’s restaurant Bungalow in New York.
Also Read: 5 Unique Dishes From MasterChef India 2026 That Received Appreciation From Judges
You come from an art background. How did art meet food?
I did my bachelor’s in visual art in Mangaluru. Post-COVID, I shifted to Bengaluru to be close to my husband, whom I was dating at that time. I pursued my master’s at Chitrakala Parishad in Bengaluru. I became a gold medallist and a rank holder.
Since I come from a bloodline of teachers, as my dad is a guest lecturer, and my grandfather a lecturer, I also worked as an art teacher in several pre-schools in Bengaluru. MasterChef happened to me during this time.
(“And now you’re teaching us about Karada cuisine,” I interject.)
As an artist, how do you look at food differently?
Art for me is a way of communication. Art is a feeling. I don’t wait for anyone’s validation for art. I don’t think any artist does as well. We just do it because we love doing it.
It’s the same connection with food. Cooking for me is like painting on a plate.
When it comes to oil, acrylic or watercolour, you follow a process— of building layers, deciding how much water to add, assessing how the surface responds, and how colours interact. It’s intertwined. I am glad I am an artist, as it made me a chef.
What are your future plans for taking this cuisine forward?
So, I am planning to open a restaurant soon. Currently, I am in search of a good investor. Hopefully, my restaurant will be up and running in North Bengaluru by the end of this year.
Rapid Fire Time!
1. A must-try dish to start out with Karada cuisine
Pathrode and Pathali.
2. Your favourite comfort food
Peda Lonameeri (Red Boiled Rice with Dry Chilli Chutney)
3. A dish you find overrated
Matcha.
4. A dish you find underrated
Rasam-Rice.
5. An ingredient you cannot do without
Coconut Oil.
6. A travel destination you want to visit for its food
Spain and Gujarat.
7. Describe a dish that represents
Rasgulla.
He is sweet.
-Ranveer Brar
Dhokla.
Sweet, spicy, chatpata.
Thali.
He is a khazaana (treasure).
Dal-Chawal.
Like comfort food.
-Your Father, Venu Sharma
Rice Bowl.
-You, Avani
Argane or a Schezwan Dish.
8. An artwork you’d like to use as an inspiration for a dish
Something very close to nature, like a painting of my native surroundings.
Also, my sir, Syed Asif Ali’s paintings. He was my college lecturer. His artworks were amazing.
9. One-line advice for aspiring chefs and restaurateurs
Don’t doubt yourself and think, “Will this work out?”
Because I never thought this, and look where I am! It’s just a perception. Come out of it.
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FAQs
Who is Avani Sharma?
Avani Sharma is a chef, food artist, founder of Karada Spice Box, and a contestant on MasterChef India Season 9. She champions the 600-year-old ancient Karada cuisine from the Karnataka-Kasaragod coast.
What is Karada cuisine?
Karada cuisine is a 600-year-old cuisine that belongs to the Karada Brahmin community hailing from the Kasaragod-Karnataka coast. It has Maharashtrian influences and uses homegrown and seasonal ingredients typically coconut, tamarind, gourd and more.
Who are Avani and Venu Sharma on MasterChef India?
Avani and Venu Sharma is a daughter-father duo who championed Karada cuisine on ninth season of MasterChef India judged by celebrity chefs Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Kunal Kapur.