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 pantabhat, alubhorta, 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 July 26, 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.

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 organization has made significant contributions to 12 organizations 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.