VAAUS joins hands with Kishwar Chowdhury to turn food into hope

For a woman, food has never been just about flavour. Every meal carries a memory, every recipe tells a story, and every plate is a reminder of where we come from. The woman who presented humble Bengali dishes like panta bhat, alu bhorta, and khichuri to one of the world's biggest culinary stages, is none other than Kishwar Chowdhury, the second runner-up of MasterChef Australia Season 13, whose journey has grown far beyond the kitchen.

At VAAUS's Flavours of Home event on 26 July, she reflected on her childhood memories, her journey to one of the world's biggest culinary stages, and her initiative, Kishwar's Culinary Cohort (KCC) WINGS, which provides culinary training and employment opportunities for underserved communities from Korail, reports a press release.

Viqarunnisa Alumni Australia (VAAUS) was born from a simple planning of reunion in Sydney in October 2016. VAAUS was officially established in March 2017, by the idea of reconnecting former students and exploring how that bond could be transformed into something meaningful for society.

Since then, the organisation has made significant contributions to 12 organisations across six Australian states and territories, supporting initiatives focused on health, education, and dignity for women, children, and families. Committed to extending that impact to Bangladesh, VAAUS partnered with Kishwar's Culinary Cohort (KCC) to host Flavours of Home: An Arvo with Kishwar Chowdhury event, transforming a celebration of culture into an opportunity to support the next generation of chefs.

During the 80s and 90s, before catering services became commonplace, family gatherings were a collective effort. It was in that vibrant environment that Kishwar first learned to cook, in a home where neighbours and relatives never needed an invitation to drop by. Those experiences taught her that food is far more than nourishment, it has the power to bring people together. It was this belief that her son's simple words, "Ma, you should apply too," inspired her to turn into reality.

That unexpected suggestion changed everything. Her journey on MasterChef Australia not only introduced Bengali home cooking to a global audience but also inspired others to see cooking as a profession. It also led to her book Smoke, Rice, Water, inspired by her desire to preserve recipes, memories, and family stories, with more than 160 copies sold at the event.

Wanting food to create opportunities as well as preserve heritage, she launched KCC (Kishwar's Culinary Cohort) WINGS to provide underserved young people from Korail with culinary training, mentorship, and career pathways. To support this vision, VAAUS presented a charity cheque of AUD 5,000 to KCC WINGS, reflecting its "Connect to Care" philosophy of creating meaningful social impact.

For Kishwar, the donation meant far more than financial support. "My heartfelt thanks to VAAUS, because they didn't just celebrate my journey, they chose to invest in someone else's future," she said.

Echoing her sentiments, former VAAUS president and advisor Suranjana Jennifer Rahman said, "VAAUS believes true education extends beyond the classroom and can create meaningful change in society." For VAAUS, Flavours of Home was never simply about hosting a celebrated chef or bringing the diaspora together, but about turning shared heritage into meaningful action.