Monisha Patil, Indian Chef who was first wife of Nitish Bharadwaj

Monisha Patil is a popular Indian chef and author. She is the former wife of Indian television actor Nitish Bharadwaj and daughter of renowned Indian journalist Vimla Patil.

Monisha Patil was born in Mumbai. Monisha began learning Bharatanatyam at the young age of 4 and continued to study the Indian classical dance for over 30 years.  She completed her schooling at Bombay International School and St Columba School before pursuing higher education at HR College of Commerce. She also holds a diploma in journalism from the London School of Journalism.She has studied at the Institute of Hotel Management in Mumbai from 1982 to 1985.

In 2004, she established her cooking school, 'Cooking With Monisha,' located in West London. She began her career as a chef in 2012 before transitioning to become a chef tutor at various cooking schools, including The Bristol School of Food and Wine and Ashburton Cookery School.  Also, she worked as a guest lecturer at SOAS, the University of London for four months in 2013. She has showcased her dancing talent at numerous stage shows and events such as her performance at the Nehru gallery in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Her marriage with Nitish

On 27 December 1991, Monisha got married to the well-known Indian actor Nitish Bharadwaj. They had two children together, a daughter named India Bharadwaj and a son named Arrush Bharadwaj. However, in 2005, Nitish and Monisha decided to divorce. Following their separation, Monisha relocated to Hounslow, Middlesex with their children. 

Her career as a cook

Monisha began her writing career at the age of 15 when she started to write about teenage problems. She later collaborated with her mother on two successful books centered around food “The Prestige Festival Cookbook” and “The Exotic Curries of the Orient.”. She is a non-vegetarian.

In 2003, she was recognized as the 'Cookery Writer of the Year' by the Guild of Food Writers. Over the years, she has served as a judge at prestigious events such as the Guild of Fine Food's 'Great Taste Awards' and various cooking shows. Also, she has shared her expertise on Indian ingredients at Kew Gardens and collaborated with the British Council on a historical perspective about curry on show ‘How The British Fell in Love With Curry'.

Monisha was invited to speak at the Welcome Collection in London in 2018 and took part in the Cookery Legends cruise around the British Isles in 2019.