She made her first cup of tea at the age of 10. Today, 18-year-old Samreen Patel, a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya No 3, is the proud winner of the Young Chef India contest which was recently held in Bangkok. She beams as she recounts the experience. "Ever since I was 10, I preferred cooking to playing or watching TV!" The passion has paid off for her, but it's only the beginning, she says.

In the West Zone category at the competition, her Chicken Korma served with Kasuri Paratha with a hint of dry fenugreek, won the judges' hearts. In the final round, she cooked Shammi Kebab, Zaffrani Murgh - chicken breast pieces stuffed with veggies and cooked in a Nawabi gravy - and Kasuri Paratha again. She delighted the tasting panel with Jashn-e-Chukunder or the beetroot halwa. “I am inspired by my mother and grandmother who are great cooks. They taught me the basics of cooking,” she says. This young chef has tried out continental, Mexican and other world cuisines but prefers Mughlai and Indian- Chinese food. At the competition, she was pitted against more than 30 participants from all over the country. “I was never nervous because cooking and the kitchen take me to a completely different world,” she adds.