With a time difference of 12 hours, we’ve woken chef Aarthi Sampath at 6.30 am. In a pleasant voice, she greets us. “You’re addicted to competitions,” we tell her, as we remember her winning American-reality show Chopped in 2018. She laughs at the fact. Sampath is a participant on two American food reality shows on Food Network—Tournament of Champions and Guy’s Grocery Show, which she won.

While the first show has 32 top chefs competing in high pressure challenges, and is being hailed as the toughest food show considering the world’s top chefs fight it out in the kitchen, Guy’s Grocery store has four professional chefs shopping for ingredients and cooking a dish, all under 30 minutes.