This Masterchef Contestant Left Cushy Government Job To Pursue His Passion For Plants And Food

“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” – Marc Anthony

This saying resonated strongly with Odisha’s horticulturist cum home chef Avinash Patnaik. Avinash is fond of food and plants, and for his love, he went to the extent of leaving his job as the Assistant Agriculture Officer. Now he is happily pursuing Ph.D. in horticulture and researching flowers and food.

His talent and dedication finally took him to be among the top 16 finalists of Masterchef India. He won over the judges with his unique twist on a good old Odia dish – Gaintha Pitha – by adding a floral fusion and ‘Flavours of Tatini,’ a fish recipe from North Odisha.

Avinash is also a painter and digital illustrator. He has been a part of several cooking shows in the state so far.

Life Beyond Numbers talked to Avinash to learn more about his journey.

Baby steps

Born in Kharagpur and now living in Bhubaneswar, Avinash did a lot of moving, for his father was in the air force. This became the source of his culinary exposure in the coming days.

“Moving around has made me taste various cuisines, and made my taste buds versatile,” said Avinash.

He considers his mother and grandmother to be the inspiration behind his knack for cooking. Also, he always had a keen eye and watched others cook, especially the street vendors, whom he also gives credit.

“I was still at school when I started cooking. But then, initially, my rotis were horrible. Back at home, I would mimic the fast food joint cooks,” shared Avinash with a laugh reminiscing how he has begun.

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He would often cook for his friends and colleagues in the following days, who encouraged him a lot.

Leaving Government Job To Follow His Dreams

Meanwhile, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture from OUAT and then took up a Master’s in Floriculture and Landscape Gardening at Tamil Nadu University, Coimbatore. Next in line, he even got into Ph.D. in the same subject from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vidyalaya in West Bengal.

It was during this time that he got his job as an Assistant Agriculture Officer under the Government of Odisha. But somehow, he felt it was not his life’s calling. It wasn’t easy to convince his family, but he did it anyway.

“Even though my entire education was agriculture oriented, I was not happy with my job. After handling administrative work for six years, I decided to quit and pursue my passion. That was a huge move and so I took a sabbatical to think it through. Of course, my family did not approve of it at first. But I made them understand. Eventually they were all in. Though the relatives were critical, I have been able to prove myself and I consider myself very fortunate for it,” shared the Bhubaneswar chef.

Since then, Avinash has been visiting tons of places and exploring plants and food trails. He even started taking orders for cakes at his home. The next thing in line was social media presence which happened. He started his own Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter handle, Bhukad Insan, which has garnered thousands of followers over the years from across the globe. Patnaik features his dishes and interesting food, and plant/flower facts.

“I have been posting a lot of stuff on the handles and gaining attention from people. I am thankful for that. But my presence in Masterchef has definitely magnified things. Here onwards, whatever I post will have more impact than ever, and that’s definitely a win-win,” said the Masterchef Season 7 contestant.

Avinash Patnaik – Highlighting Flowers And Local Cuisines At Masterchef

Avinash has an equal affinity towards plants, provided his educational background and research. Now he grows a variety of flowers and plants at his home and visits fields and sites for his study of flowers.

Also, read: Hyderabad Engineer Grows Plants While Working Remotely, Becomes Green Décor Influencer

Even in Masterchef, the 35-year-old fashioned Gaintha Pitha in the shape of flowers with a tint of blue derived from Aparajita (butterfly pea) flowers and flavored with Pandan leaves. He soaked the pitha in milk infused with coral Jasmine (Parijat) flowers and almonds.

Traditional Odia pithas and recipes with edible flowers have been central to Avinash’s culinary journey. On ‘Bhukad Insan,’ he has been curating several dishes from local edible flowers. With very little literature available on Odia pithas except for scriptures, Avinash started documenting heirloom pithas and their significance many years back. So far, he has documented traditional recipes of more than 15 Odia pithas and the history behind them.

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“There are wide varieties of pithas or sweet pancakes that form the basis of Odia food. They can be steamed, deep-fried, or pan-roasted, which help define its texture and name”, said Avinash, who picked them from his maternal grandmother and fellow food bloggers.

Flowers found their way into Avinash’s food in many more Odia dishes like ‘Amruta Bhanda Phula Rai’, ‘Kadamba Phula Tarkari’, ‘Kain Phula Pakoda’, ‘Gulmohar Kali Ke Pakode’, ‘Ashoka Phula Chutney’, ‘Sorisa Phula Bara’, ‘Gilri Phula Tarkari’ ‘Kanchana Phula (Bauhinia flower) Bara’, ‘Sunari Chutney’ made from Sunari or Golden Shower flowers, Palash flower sherbet, and more.

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“My curiosity about flowers and plants is something I cannot explain in words. I feel I have found my purpose in life through them. It takes lots of time and patience to document these plants at different stages, but it gives me immense satisfaction at the end of the day,” the floriculturist chef said.

The cherry on top, Avinash wears his pride as an Odia with his shirts made of traditional Sambalpuri handloom fabric. Recently, the Handloom and Textile Department, Govt of Odisha, gifted him garments for his upcoming journey.

We wish you good luck, Avinash.