Reality Rally

Today’s “Up Close and Personal” interview features Roshni Gurnani, skilled chef and dear Reality Rally supporter who will be attending her first Reality Rally this year!

A native of Canada, Roshni has always been interested and passionate about food. Since the tender age of 7 she wanted to be a chef and her career began at the age of 13.

“Since a young age it was something that I always wanted to do. I don’t know if it was one particular instance that inspired me to take this field, it’s just something I’ve always loved to do and I knew that this was something I wanted to pursue more than just a hobby,” she said.

Gurnani studied at the Culinary Institute of Canada, and after graduating, packed up and began her travels around the world to learn different styles of cooking. After nearly eight years abroad, Gurnani returned to Toronto and eventually moved to Houston, Texas, where she has been living for three and a half years. With over 15 years of experience, Gurnani has cooked in 5 star hotels, country clubs, restaurants, colleges and private homes is Asia, UK, Canada and the US.

In 2009, Gurnani was invited to appear on Food Network’s hit TV show, Chopped.

“It was a great experience. It was one of the best experiences, if not the best experience, that I’ve had career-wise for myself,” Gurnani said.

In the show, Gurnani competed against three older gentlemen.

“I felt totally like the underdog, but it worked in my favor in that I used my skill and passion for food and was able to come up on top,” she said.

Gurnani was awarded Chopped Champion, and soon after became the first chef in Boston to introduce healthy, restaurant-style food to college campuses. For this accomplishment, she was featured in the Boston Globe Newspaper, and the exposure triggered a healthy food scene throughout colleges in Massachusetts.

In 2012, Gurnani appeared on Season 10 of Fox TV’s “Hell’s Kitchen.

“It was a totally different experience cooking-wise and competition-wise. It was more of a ‘Big Brother’ rather than anything else. It was six weeks away from family and friends but definitely a great experience in my life and something that I learned a tremendous amount from,” she explained.

Currently, Gurnani has her own culinary consulting company in Houston, and teaches a Master’s program at the Art Institute in Houston full time.

A few weeks ago, Gurnani was proud show her support for breast cancer patients by donating twelve inches of her hair to Locks of Love.

“It’s something I always wanted to do, but I kept having things come up, like, ‘Oh, I have a wedding and I can’t do it now’, ‘Oh, I have this and I can’t do it now’. And I said, ‘You know what? If I’m not gonna do it, I’m not gonna do it.’ So, I went to the hairdresser, and it was kind of a local little fundraiser here that people wanted to watch. I cut off twelve and a half inches and donated that to Locks of Love. I’m loving my new hair and it’s a lot easier to deal with. And what better time than a few weeks out from the Reality Rally weekend!” she said.

This will be Gurnani’s first time attending Reality Rally, and she eagerly anticipates the event.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “It’s for a good cause. Anything for a good cause is something I definitely love to do.”

And we’re glad you’re on board to support our life-changing cause, Roshni! See you soon!

- Taryn Murphy