Vanessa D’Souza Age, Husband, MasterChef, Autism, Wiki, Parents, Family, BT Sport, Nationality, Heritage

Vanessa D’Souza Biography – Vanessa D’Souza Wiki

Vanessa D’Souza, also known as The Autistic Chef, is a MasterChef UK 2023 contestant, Anti-Piracy Manager in Sport and autism awareness advocate. She is the Commercial Compliance / Anti-Piracy Manager at BT Sport, according to her Linkedin profile. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Westminster.

Vanessa is the founder of The Autistic Chef, a Neurodiverse Kitchen that creates recipes which cater to both neurodiverse and neurotypical people alike.

How would you describe your style of cooking?

‘Classic dishes with a Neurodiverse twist’

“My dishes are classic recipes with a burst of flavour inspiration from my Portuguese-Indian heritage, my East-African born and raised parents, my travels to 60 countries, as well as my neurodiversity. It’s quite an eclectic mix!”

“The kitchen has always been a place for me to express myself. I’m really in my comfort zone when I’m creating food pairings with sensory elements and experimenting with alternative presentations.”

“Receiving a late diagnosis of autism was a real game changer for me. I almost breathed a sigh of relief as it explained why I feel so at home in the kitchen.”

What is your earliest cooking memory?

‘Butter Chicken…without the chicken!’

“As a child I barely ate anything unless it was beige, bland & processed! My grandmother realised that a lot of my adversity to trying different foods came from textures. Her clever idea of getting me involved in making butter chicken as a standalone sauce with its smooth velvety texture saw the birth of the ‘deconstructed butter chicken’. I can’t make it any other way now!”

Why did you enter MasterChef?

“I’m an everyday girl from Croydon that wants take my kitchen creativity and turn it into something so much bigger! Food is the thing that unknowingly truly grounds me – wherever I am in the world. Cooking gives me confidence and is where I am at my most comfortable expressing my real self.”

“After years of masking my autism and trying to fit into society, I wanted to do something that honours and expresses being the real me – cooking does exactly this. So I thought, “Why not go on national TV and let John and Gregg see what they think?” No pressure right???”

What is your food dream?

‘A cookbook that makes a difference!’

“The absolute food dream would be to turn my food passion project into a paid full-time career. I’d love to be the first autistic chef that creates exciting recipes for neurodiverse and neurotypical people alike, both in a cookbook, and via other assessable means for the neurodiverse community”

Vanessa D’Souza Age

Vanessa D’Souza was born in January 1986. She is 37 years old as of 2023. Her parents were born and raised in East Africa.

Vanessa D’Souza Husband

The Autistic Chef Vanessa D’Souza lives in Croydon with her fiancé James.

Vanessa D’Souza MasterChef UK 2023

Autistic Chef Vanessa D’Souza is a contestant on MasterChef UK 2023 on BBC1. This is the 19th series of the popular cooking competition for amateur cooks. She made a spiced pineapple crumble on MasterChef which won her top 3 dish and the MasterChef apron.

Vanessa made her first appearance on BBC1’s MasterChef during Autism Awareness Month 2023.

“I am hoping that appearing during Autism Awareness Month will give a greater understanding of autism for the benefit of others.”

Vanessa D’Souza Autism

Chef Vanessa D’Souza is autistic. She was diagnosed with autism in 2022.

“Receiving a late autism diagnosis was a real game changer for me understanding and owning my true authentic self,” Vanessa said. “This led me to pursue my love of cooking & building my brand ‘The Autistic Chef’.”

“I’m just a simple girl from Croydon trying to make my food dream a reality,” she told Inside Croydon. “I like to cook and create foods that I love, and from this produce recipes which cater to both neurodiverse and neurotypical people alike.”

Vanessa D’Souza Nationality

She is of British nationality and Portuguese-Goan heritage.

Vanessa D’Souza Instagram

Vanessa D’Souza’s Instagram handle is @vanessa.dsouza.