By Tate Papworth
Two former Masterchef contestants from the western suburbs will reunite for one of the country’s largest cooking events.
Sydenham’s Anushka Zargaryan and Altona’s Walleed Rasheed will share a tent at the Cake, Bake and Sweets show as they endeavour to keep their culinary dreams alive post Masterchef.
Anushka will be serving her honey cake, which became a signature dish and wowed the judges on the hit tv show. She hopes it proves as popular with the public.
“I’ve got two flavours now, the original honey and chocolate,” she said. “I’m hoping it will generate enough interest at the show to manufacture it.”
Walleed was known to many before Masterchef through his business, the Fresh Prince of Baklava, which trades from Kensington and South Melbourne markets.
He said the business has grown since his television appearance, and the Cake, Bake and Sweets show is another step forward.
“I began this business about four years ago. I still work corporate, but because of my love of food, I wanted to do something, so I launched Fresh Prince of Baklava.”
With Anushka launching her product and Walleed already having an established base, the duo decided it was the perfect time to collaborate.
“We’re doing our own products, but we’re going to share a tent, share the love and help each other get through it,” Anushka said.
Walleed said: “Being able to promote our brands together makes it a lot stronger and I’m hoping that with the little presence I have, I can help Anushka grow hers too.”
The Cake, Bake and Sweets show will be held from November 29 – December 1 at the Melbourne Convention and exhibition Centre.
Instagram: @freshprinceofbaklava and @anushkaskitchen
