#ELLEGourmetCoverStar: Natasha Gandhi, The Biryani Queen

When I first met Natasha Gandhi on the set of our ELLE Gourmet cover shoot, she wasn’t feeling too well. A nurse had just stepped out after administering IV antibiotics, and I remember wondering how she would get through a full day. But if there was any trace of discomfort, it never surfaced. Gandhi met the moment with calm focus and the optimism that defines her work. “I’m very excited to be on the cover,” she told me — and it showed, first in how naturally she took to the camera, and then in the unmistakable warmth that filled the studio. The same energy her followers recognise from her recipe videos — only now, in full glam.

So, What’s Her Story?

At first glance, Natasha Gandhi’s journey reads like a leap of faith — from chartered accountancy classrooms to recipe notebooks and camera lenses. But look closer, and it feels less like a pivot and more like returning to instinct. “I’ve grown up in a Punjabi family where everyone loves food,” she says. “Food was always around me.” Still, an “unfortunate” 88 per cent in her 10th boards set her on a predetermined path: CA coaching, a bundled course, and a sense of momentum pushing her forward.

But while her peers revised late into the night, Gandhi cooked. “I would go into the kitchen when everyone was asleep, experimenting with dinners and snacks,” she recalls. Her childhood references weren’t superheroes, but Nigella Lawson reruns and recipe scribbles.

After five unsuccessful attempts at clearing her CA finals, clarity arrived. “I realised this is not my calling,” she admits. With friends already earning well in corporate roles, choosing uncertainty wasn’t easy — but she took the risk, launching a home-baking venture focused on something missing around her: good-for-you desserts.

That experiment became House of Millets, a gluten-free, vegan baking brand inspired partly by her father’s health needs. Orders followed, and so did confidence. “When they saw the business doing well, my parents told me to forget about CA,” she says.

Hall Of Fame

If House of Millets laid the foundation, MasterChef India gave Gandhi her national stage. She auditioned without telling her family, made it to the top 15, and eventually finished in the top five. “I’d only been cooking seriously for six months to a year,” she says. “Others had been at it for much longer.” The timing felt right. “I didn’t leave too early, and I didn’t leave too late.”

The finale aired on March 1, 2020. Two weeks later, the country shut down. Workshops, events, brand work evaporated – replaced by DMs asking how to make poha, chai, rotis, everyday staples. “People just wanted to cook,” she says.

Armed only with her phone, she began posting the food she made daily at home. MasterChef gave her an initial bump – around 65,000 followers — but everything after that was built from scratch. “Going from 65k to a million-plus is your own journey,” she says. “It’s all about trial and error. Listening. Adapting.”

Curating And Creating 

Today, Gandhi’s content is instantly recognisable not just for how it looks, but how it thinks. Her reels are grounded in memory, regional stories, and cultural nuance — whether she’s breaking down lesser-known biryanis, mapping pasta dishes rooted in India, or sparking conversations with reels like ‘Prasad isn’t always vegetarian.’ 

“My favourite kind of content is storytelling through food,” she explains. “It always starts with a memory, a craving, a place.” Her Biryanis of India series didn’t just go viral — it became communal. “People from different regions shared stories. That’s when you know you’ve struck something real.”

Credibility is non-negotiable. “People on the internet are very smart. You cannot bluff,” she says. Research is foundational — and so is clarity around AI. “ I treat AI as my sous chef, not a replacement. The thought has to be mine. AI can validate, brainstorm, catch things — but it cannot create my voice.”

Her philosophy on trends is equally blunt. “Don’t chase them. Either set them, or do what you love.”

Even wellness — once central to her content — has evolved. “You can’t eat millets all the time,” she laughs, remembering her husband’s reaction to an all-millet meal early in their marriage. The lesson? Balance. Real life first, content second.

Serving Next

The next chapter includes a cookbook rooted in eating better — and a biryani-forward eatery in Mumbai she’s currently manifesting. “Something like Benne Dosa,” she says. “You come, stand, eat biryani, and leave. That’s it.”

Through it all, one belief anchors her journey: consistency compounds. “Even if others grow faster, it’s okay. Show up every day. The work always adds up.”

Quick Fires:

Kitchen Nickname: Biryani Queen

Comfort Dish After A Long Day: Pad Ka Prow

Favourite Ingredient Right Now:Methi

Favourite Drink: Picante Kombucha from Boojee Cafe

Food Trend You Wish Would Disappear: Overcomplicated healthy food

If Not A Chef, You Would Be: I would still be in the food space, but I’d be a content strategist or social media marketer, or work in a food magazine

Dream City To Open A Restaurant In: Melbourne or Bengaluru

If You Were A Dish, You Would Be: Biryani

Favourite Song On Loop: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Favourite Movie: Om Shaanti Om

Your 3 A.M. Speed Dial Person: My husband (Vinayak) or my sister 

Editorial Director: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi; Digital Editor: Isha Mayer; Photographer: Vijit Gupta; Creative Director & Creative Producer: Priyadarshini Patwa; Stylist: Jainee Bheda; Art Director: Jangu Sethna; Jr. Graphic Designer: Divya Pande (cover design); Hair and Make-up: Florian Hurel Hair Couture and Spa; Assisted by: Jainam Gogri (styling), Vaishnavi Rana (editorial); Executive Producer: Aanchal Jain; Production: Nafromax Productions