'MasterChef's Purvi Dogra Says She Will Be 'Haunted for Life' By Her Elimination
Gordon Ramsay had a surprise up his sleeve for the home cooks on MasterChef tonight with a shocking double elimination following a Mystery Box challenge that involved chicken and a 10-minute penalty for one of the teams.
Each of the four areas on United Tastes of America—Northeast, Midwest, South and West—were given one whole chicken to be divided up among the team members and then each one had to make the best dish possible with whatever parts they received.
It was a no brainer for the Northeast’s Purvi Dogra, who was lucky enough to get a breast, so she decided to make a classic Indian dish, Butter Chicken with Naan, one she makes frequently to compliments.
“I was shocked when I was called on the bottom three because I never thought my Butter Chicken would ever bring me to the bottom three,” Purvi told Parade in this exclusive interview. “I was expecting to see myself in the Top 4. Good chef had a bad day is what I keep thinking in my head.”
CR: FOX
It was appalling enough to land in the bottom three, but then, Gordon announced that Sarah would be turning in her apron, and Purvi had a minute to take a deep breath and a sigh of relief, at which point Gordon announced that two home cooks would be leaving—and she was the second one.
“When he said Sarah was going home, I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ For just a split second, I had that relief in my heart that I'm not going home and then there comes this thing saying, ‘Oh, there's another chef going home. There are two eliminations today.’ It was shocking for me. It was not what I wanted, but it was an experience. Very few people get to cook in the MasterChef kitchen.”
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For Purvi, it is even more incredible that she went home on a chicken dish because she’s been cooking chicken for years. It’s beef and pork that she doesn’t eat, and she had expected to be eliminated if there was a steak challenge.
“Being a Hindu, I don't eat beef and I don't like pork,” she added. “I never cook with them. My kids eat them because they were born here, but I never used to cook them at home. But when you are in such a big competition, you have to know how to cook these dishes, so I made steak at home a few times. I was more scared of making steak, if they would have given me steak, I would have been like, ‘I'm done. I’m going to quit, because I've never cooked steak and I don't know medium rare or rare.’ That's one thing I worked on was cooking a lot of different types of meats."
And yet, it was chicken that did her in.
“That will haunt me all my life,” she admitted.
CR: FOX
Purvi also shared with Parade, her plans going forward, including expanding her Everything But Plates business into an actual bakery, which will also have decorating classes, why her audition was the hardest part of the competition for her, and who she would like to see in the final three.
You baked Vanilla Bundt Cakes with Indian flavors for your audition, so I'm assuming that dessert is your specialty more than savory. Do you think that was an issue when it came to cooking other things?
No, no, no. I do have a bakery home business. I have a business called Everything But Plates, but I just started baking three years ago, so before that I was into savory and I wanted to be in savory. The reason I picked Butter Chicken as soon as I saw chicken is Butter Chicken is the most favorite Indian dish. I said, “Oh, I can do this. This is going to be so easy.” I followed my recipe and people have always told me that this is the best Butter Chicken they have had. The only alteration I did was when we're cooking at home, my husband grills the chicken outside on our grill, but I had to bake the chicken because there was no grill. Then when I found out Gordon’s favorite dish is Butter Chicken, I was like, “Why did I even try?”
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Hindsight is 20/20. Looking back, what was the hardest part of the competition for you?
The hardest part to be honest with you was my audition. I don't know if you know, but that same day my father-in-law passed away in India. My husband was coming for my audition, but he had to fly back to India to be with his dad, so it was the hardest time for me. I didn't want to go ahead, but he said, “You have worked so hard to get to that place, just focus and do it.” So, that was my hardest. But everything came together, and I got four yeses and that's the best memory I can ever keep with my heart.
Talk about your decision to audition in the first place or did they find you?
I did apply last June or somewhere around that time. There was an open application and I applied. I didn't hear anything for two months and I said, “Hey, this is another application like I do it for my baking shows,” but then, I think it was in August, I got a call from somebody from MasterChef and I was like, “I don't think so.” I thought somebody was pranking me. Then when I talked to her, she said they'd want to schedule a Zoom call. I thought, “They’re actually calling me. They actually liked my application.” That was something I never thought was going to happen. Sometimes people follow their passion, and do the best with what they have, and I got an opportunity which I availed to my maximum strength.
What's next for you? Are you back in the finance industry or are you going to expand Everything But the Plate into a full time business?
I am still in the finance industry, but yes, I want to expand my dream. My dream is to open up a bakery and showcase desserts from all over the world, so every week, the menu will change. That's what I want to do and I'm working on that. It's going to come but it's going to take some time.
With your finance background, you should be able to handle the business side, renting the facility and all that kind of stuff.
That will definitely help me, because I still have a business and I do everything on my own. I cook, I bake, I do my finances, pay my taxes. Everything is done right.
What initially sparked your interest in cooking? Is it something that your family has always done? Were you in the kitchen with your mother or your grandmother, or was it when you got married and you realized, you were going to have to cook?
My mom was very big on cooking home food every day. She was an excellent cook. It’s funny that you asked me. I had an arranged marriage. Twenty-three years ago, my parents found my husband. When that was happening and we had full-time help at home cooking, my mother-in-law saw that and she was a little scared because in the U.S. you don't get all that. You have to cook and clean and do it all on your own. She asked my mom, “Can she cook?” My mom said, “Yes, she can. She's a very good cook.” I started young. Then one day, I said, “I want to be making this and this and this.” I really enjoy it.
CR: FOX
So, I'm assuming your mom wasn't here with you in the U.S.? Is that correct?
She was here for a few years, but she passed away almost 9 years ago.
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Did you have to turn to cookbooks? What was the process of learning all those dishes that you wanted to make?
Cookbooks definitely and then I watched Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals and that taught me a lot about American cooking. That was my favorite show. I learned a lot from her and then The Pioneer Woman, I follow her, too. Those are the two pillars who have taught me cooking.
Not Gordon?
Gordon came later. I came here 22 years ago. Now, every time I practice a recipe at home, it's a Gordon Ramsay recipe. I just can't get over the fact that I was eliminated for Butter Chicken.
Which home cooks among your competition impressed you?
Grant impressed me a lot. I am hoping to see him in the Top 3, but he's really worked hard. I've seen his Instagram and I've seen so much about him. He's been working so hard to be prepared to be there, so I love Grant.
I understand that you are going to be teaching a piping class in September.
Yes. The Jersey Shore Cake & Cookie Convention is in September, and I'm teaching a class on cake decorating and piping different kind of flowers out of buttercream.
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Is the first time you're doing something like that or are you hoping to do more? Are you hoping that MasterChef will be a springboard for those things?
I think so. I've been teaching for the last eight months now. [The woman from Jersey Shore Cake & Cookie Convention] reached out to me because she saw my Instagram. She asked if I wanted to teach a class, and I said, I’d never done it and I was nervous. She said, “I love the way you make your cupcakes. Do you want to do a cupcake decorating class?” This was last year before going to MasterChef. Then I came back and I told her that I was on MasterChef and she was like, “Oh, my God. You’re so good.”
I'm entering online competitions as well. I won the first position on my cupcake decorating class entry, so I've been teaching and that's what I want to do. With my bakery, I want to open up a school where I can teach all these things.
MasterChef airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
