Age: 31

Occupation: Marketing and Communications Adviser

Neha grew up in India with her parents and younger sister Neesha. Her parents were doctors who served in the Indian Army and as a result the family moved around every couple of years. Neha attended nine different schools throughout her youth.

"I was exposed to different cultures, languages and food every time we moved, as every state in India is so different. Not knowing the regional language, I would always resort to food, my comfort zone, to engage and learn more about the locals."

At the age of 23 she moved to Australia for post graduate studies and she holds a Masters in Information Technology and an MBA.

"After eating pizzas for months, it was time I entered the kitchen. Thank God for long online cooking tutorials with mum and some help from my Singaporean Indian landlady. I entered the world of cooking and started a journey of experimenting with ingredients, amazing produce and different shades of culture on a plate."

Neha loves Latin dancing, which she does four to five times a week, and is known to bust a move when she nails a recipe. She has also continued her love of travel, and focuses on the gastronomic delights more than the sights.

"When I went to Paris, I had three photos of the amazing tiramisu that I devoured in a café, but forgot to take a picture of the Eiffel Tower."

Neha hopes MasterChef Australia will help drive her passion for food and dreams of doing for Indian cuisine what George Calombaris has done for Greek food.