31, Doctor, VIC

Had she not been needed full time on the front line of a busy Melbourne hospital during the global pandemic, Adi Nevgi may have been in the MasterChef kitchen much sooner.

This year, however, Adi is lightening her workload to allow time to rejuvenate, travel, cook and go after her MasterChef dream.

Largely self-taught through cookbooks, websites and watching cooking shows, Adi’s passion for cooking has grown as she’s experimented, practiced and developed her palate by visiting a whopping 55 countries. Adi also has a deep love for her ancestral cuisine, Indian, but draws inspiration from flavours across the world.

Adi’s study of general medicine and endocrinology has also contributed to her love of food, deepening her understanding of the science behind it. For Adi, cooking represents the perfect blend of academic and creative pursuit, and she’s been inspired to start writing her own cookbook, a ‘how-to guide’ on learning cooking basics.

Adi thinks her determined and unflappable nature will keep her on an even keel in the kitchen, though admits baking is a weakness given her savoury preference.

Ready to give the competition her all, this pocket rocket’s goals are sky-high and she’ll stop at nothing to achieve them.