Nikita Pathakji Wikipedia, Age, Husband, Religion, MasterChef
Nikita Pathakji Biography – Nikita Pathakji Wiki
Nikita Pathakji is a British private chef. She was crowned champion of MasterChef: The Professionals 2022 and is a finalist on the Great British Menu 2026. Nikita now has her own business as a private chef, creating bespoke menus for her clients, using all her skills garnered over her experience in Michelin kitchens. She is keen to open her own restaurant one day.
Originally from Derby, Nikita began her career with an apprenticeship at Westminster Kingsway College, combining study with hands-on kitchen experience. Her first professional role was at The Lanesborough Hotel, where she worked across the afternoon tea section, pastry, and finally the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Céleste.
She went on to join Bibendum (2 Michelin stars) under Claude Bosi, gaining valuable classical French training before spending nine months travelling across Southeast Asia – a period she describes as hugely influential in shaping her cooking today.
Upon returning to London, Nikita worked at Core by Clare Smyth (3 Michelin Stars) before joining Kitchen W8 (1 Michelin Star), where she developed her skills under Mark Kempson and rose to the position of Junior Sous Chef.
In 2022, she was crowned champion of MasterChef: The Professionals, earning widespread recognition for her precise, elegant cooking and distinctive flavour combinations. In 2024, she was appointed Head Chef at The Princess of Shoreditch – her first head chef role – where she continued to fuse classical technique with global influences.
Nikita Pathakji Age
MasterChef: The Professionals champion Nikita Pathakji was born in 1997 in Derby, to Indian-born parents.
Nikita Pathakji Husband
Nikita Pathakji met her boyfriend at Kitchen W8 in Kensington in 2021, who she calls her ‘big cheerleader’.
Family
Nikita was brought up in Derby by her Indian-born parents, mother Rima, who works in financial services and her father, Sona, a retired engineer for Rolls-Royce, alongside an elder sister, Isha. Her parents then divorced, with Rima moving to London while Nikita and Isha remained with their dad in Derby.
She lives in Clapham, London, with her mum, step-dad, sister and Dexter the dog.
MasterChef: The Professionals 2022 Winner
On 11 December 2022, Nikita Pathakji was crowned champion of TV cooking competition MasterChef: The Professionals after impressing judges over six weeks of intense cooking challenges. Her winning menu featured sea bass cured in a citrus dressing with a smoked aubergine puree, and a side of aubergine crisps. It was followed by a take on her favourite dish from Thailand, Khao Soi, with a cardamom and custard tart paired with a honey and lemon sorbet for dessert.
Reacting to her win, Nikita said: “This is incredible and I can’t put it into words. It surpasses every achievement of my life. I don’t know how I’m going to top this. This is the peak, I think I’ve reached it!”
Nikita credited her family for sparking her passion for cuisine. “My mum has been cooking since I was a kid, creating dishes, and I’ve been cooking with her in the kitchen,” she told the BBC. “And then my dad really sparked my love of travelling, so all of them together are the reason I cook the food I do.”
Nikita said she hoped her success on the show would act as a springboard for exciting projects in the future. “It’s very exciting because it’s the first time in my career where there are people who really want to eat my food – and I want to do that for them,” she said. “I want to do pop-ups and collaborations and work with the fabulous chefs I competed alongside.”
Great British Menu
Derby-born chef Nikita Pathakji is a contestant on the Great British Menu 2026. Her menu is a celebration of style, the central region and the films and actors that hail from there.
Nationality
Nikita is of British nationality.
Ethnicity
Nikita is of Indian heritage.
Nikita Pathakji’s Instagram is @chefnikita.p.
