Jeremy Sparks, Pharmacist in Charge of 
Lachlan Menouhos, Pharmacist Manager of 
Mohamed Bassuny MPS, former Pharmacist Manager 
L-R: Col (Rtd) Bill Kelly FPS, Dr Ross Holland AM FPS, Warwick Plunkett FPS and Peter Carroll FPS[/caption]
Karen Brown MPS[/caption]
Children after receiving their vaccinations at TerryWhite Chemmart Arana Hills, Brisbane. (Image: Karen Brown MPS)[/caption]
Years of calculating exact medication dosages mirror Depinder Chhibber’s meticulous approach in the MasterChef kitchen, where every gram and garnish matters under intense pressure.
Depinder Chhibber has had a busy few years since last appearing on season 13 of MasterChef Australia in 2021.
In between appearing as a special guest chef on MasterChef India in 2023 to becoming a mother to two girls – she has still found time to stick to her pharmacy roots.
Ms Chhibber has even changed practice settings, moving from community pharmacy to industry, and onto hospital pharmacy when travelling with her husband for work.
‘The greatest gift I’ve ever received from my pharmacy degree is being able to get a job anywhere in the world,’ she said. ‘When we travelled around rural Australia, I had a job literally everywhere I went, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I could work and help in those communities.’
Last year proved to be one of the most challenging yet rewarding years for Ms Chhibber, who balanced part-time work as a pharmacist, full-time motherhood while launching her supper club Ghar in Newcastle, New South Wales.
Ghar, which translates directly to ‘home’ in Hindi, perfectly captures the vibe Ms Chhibber sought to create with her supper club.
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‘The food I’m serving is a sneak peek into every household in India – but elevated,’ she said. ‘Patrons are served individual portions on the same long table. Everyone interacts, because Indian food is all about community, sharing, and eating with your family and friends.’
Now, she is battling it out once again in the kitchen on MasterChef Australia: Back to Win, which brought back 24 standout contestants from previous seasons to compete in advanced challenges, eliminations, and immunity tests for a second chance at the title.
‘Because I wasn’t busy enough, I went out and got onto MasterChef again,’ she laughed.
While Ms Chhibber said the MasterChef kitchen has the ‘same energy’ this time around, the stakes have risen.
‘It’s very different from the previous season, because we’re competing with people who have been in the food industry for many years and the competition is super stiff,’ she said.
Australian Pharmacist sat down with Ms Chhibber to discuss how her years in pharmacy have primed her for the most competitive season of MasterChef yet.
Clinical calm under kitchen pressure
During Pressure Tests, which occur during Masterchef elimination rounds, contestants must replicate a detailed recipe exactly – measuring ingredients, using precise techniques and plating as instructed. They must complete this task within a strict time limit and without any outside references – with accuracy, taste and presentation determining who stays and who goes.
To get through these tough tests, Ms Chhibber draws on her experience in the demanding world of dispensing medicines in a busy pharmacy.
When you’re on national television, the ‘miss one step and you’re out’ dynamic of pressure tests can be highly stressful. So too can dispensing Schedule 8 medicines, when a slight error could be career- or life-ending.
‘When you do a pressure test, you are highly focused. As much as they say you need to do one step at a time, you really need to multitask and move super fast at all times – because if you don’t, you’re not going to get through the recipe,’ she said.
‘As a pharmacist, you’ve got to multitask and work around different teams and steps. You’re doing so many things at the same time – checking a script, looking over who’s coming into your store and what Schedule 3 [medicine] has been handed out.’
Pharmacists are ultimately responsible for what goes on in the pharmacy, much like in a pressure test.
‘You’ve got a gas stove with three burners going, and at the same time you’ve got something in the oven on the other side. Then, the judges come and have a chat with you,’ Ms Chhibber said. ‘Staying calm under pressure, which I’ve learned over the years as a pharmacist, has really helped me this time around.’
From drug compounds to unexpected ingredients
In a MasterChef Mystery Box Challenge, each contestant is given a sealed box containing a hidden set of ingredients – often chosen by a guest chef. They must create a complete dish using only those ingredients and a limited ‘underbench’ pantry within 75 minutes. Once time’s up, the dishes are presented to the judges, who evaluate them on creativity, technical execution and flavour – with the top performers either earning immunity or other advantages in subsequent rounds.
Contestants will face entirely unknown ingredients in the mystery box, so their palate and resourcefulness really come into play, Ms Chhibber said.
‘That’s very similar to reading medicine labels, because there’ll be some ingredients that we won’t know or have never experienced. But then you consult formulary references or search for similar compounds, or a particular drug class or excipient,’ she said. ‘You rely back on the basics to get you through that particular challenge.’
Counselling skills at the judging table
When a dish is ready for tasting, contestants present it to the judges – providing a brief summary that includes the dish’s name, highlights key ingredients and techniques, and describes the intended flavours.
With Ms Chhibber presenting a lot of Indian dishes, she distills her explanation just as she would when counselling a patient on a medication’s mechanism and effects.
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‘We talk about medical jargon in pharmacy, but there’s a lot of food-related jargon as well,’ she said. ‘So I’ve had to simplify things for the judges in terms of ingredients or techniques. They’ve got it every time, so I must be doing something right.’
Balancing pharmacy passion with culinary ambitions
Although some may assume Ms Chhibber plans to pursue cooking full-time, she will always work as a pharmacist – even if only a couple of days a week.
‘I worked really hard to get to the point where I was where I am now, and it’s very hard to let that go,’ she said.
She is keen, however, to offer cooking ‘masterclasses’, much like the training session she presented while working in industry as a Senior Medical Affairs associate
‘Towards the end of my time in the pharmaceutical industry, I was presenting at a lot of conferences and running training sessions for our representatives that were working out on the field,’ Ms Chhibber said.
‘I think that would really resonate with running cooking classes, because it’s explaining new things to people and teaching them from the very bottom to develop those skills.’
Much like the breakfast mixer she co-hosted with PSA’s very own Chris Campbell on the ‘11 secret ingredients to the evolving role of pharmacists’ at PSA22, Ms Chhibber plans to make it fun.
‘That was one of the best things I’ve ever done which I would love to do again. I don’t think there was anyone who wasn’t paying attention or having a good time,’ she said. ‘It’s good to spice things up to keep it interesting.’
New pharmacy horizons
In terms of pharmacy, Ms Chhibber is keen to get more involved in Opioid Dependence Treatment.
‘I’ve done a lot of methadone dosing, which I really like because we get to see the changes and development in patients over the years,’ she said.
This process can take longer in some patients, who may not know how to ask for help.
‘But if they can come to a pharmacy and receive non-judgemental care, that’s something I feel quite passionate about,’ Ms Chhibber said.
Since becoming a mum, she’s also keen to offer paediatric care.
‘Now I’ve got a lot of personal experience with children and treating them for simple things that you don’t always need a GP for, I’m always encouraging parents to bring their kids to us to see if we can do something,’ she said.
‘They’d rather come into a pharmacy so they can get care earlier than wait for hours in the emergency department.’
Now that Network 10 has just issued the casting call for the next season of MasterChef Australia, Ms Chhibber encourages any other budding pharmacist chefs who are interested in cooking to give it a go.
‘Fortunately I was in a situation where my managers were very supportive and were more excited than I was,’ she said. ‘If you’ve got the right support, good stability, and can afford to do it, it’s definitely worth it.’
