Sashi Cheliah


Sashikumar Cheliah is a Singaporean-born Australian cook. He was a contestant on the tenth series of MasterChef Australia in 2018, eventually winning the show.

Early life

Cheliah was raised in Singapore where he attended Swiss Cottage Secondary School and ITE College, Yishun. He is the eldest of seven children.
For 12 years, Cheliah worked for the Special Tactics and Rescue unit of the Singapore Police Force, where he trained in tactics, rescue operations, counter terrorism, kidnappings and high-profile protection in the riot police.
Cheliah is married to a nurse, Rabicca Vijayan. They have two sons. The family moved to Adelaide in 2012.
Cheliah's interest in food began by watching his mother, a cafe owner, and aunties prepare family meals. His interest in cooking piqued after moving to Australia. His goal is to open a fusion restaurant featuring Indian and South Asian flavours.

MasterChef Australia

Cheliah was selected in the Top 24 to contest MasterChef Australia in 2018. He reached the finale on 31 July, which he won with a record 93 points out of 100.

After MasterChef

Cheliah started a pop-up restaurant named Gaja by Sashi in the Melbourne CBD, serving Singaporean dishes.
In November 2019, Sashi opened his restaurant Gaja in his home town of Adelaide.